Tuesday 1 January 2013

Foxes - Echo


And here's another hotly tipped act for 2013.  Comprising Louisa Rose Allen on vocals and Sam Dixon on production (yes folks, it's another duo), Echo is their most recent single following EP 'Warrior' from earlier in 2012.

Citing the usual tryptic of Kate Bush, Bjork and Bat for Lashes as key influences, the duo's sound is typical quirky, gothic electro-pop.  Echo begins a little differently though with the strings and glockenspiel creating a lighter feel.  As the song progresses the drums escalate into a punchy chorus reminiscent of Emeli Sande's Heaven, before plummeting into a dub-steppy middle eight.  

Vocally Allen settles somewhere between Ellie Goulding's girlish squawking and Florence's dramatic warbling.  When you drop in Marina & The Diamonds, Clare Maguire and Charlie XCX, it's easy to see that this genre is a crowded market and Foxes don't quite do enough to stand out from the crowd.  That said, last year's single Youth has received over a million views on YouTube, so they must be doing something right...

3/5

Listen: Echo is available now, as is previous EP 'Warrior'.