As the title suggests,
Little Boots
' 2013 release,
Nocturnes
, is a sultry, late-night, slow burn of an album that finds the British electronic diva building upon the anthemic dance-oriented sound of her 2009 debut
Hands
. Having carved out a niche on the increasingly crowded dancefloor amongst a gaggle of similarly inclined acts like
Ellie Goulding
,
La Roux
Robyn
, and
Lady Gaga
with such cuts as "Stuck on Repeat," and "Earthquake,"
Victoria Hesketh
aka
has found a more personal niche within the genre on
. Subsequently, though still an infectious listen,
is a surprisingly low-key affair. Tracks like "Strangers" and "Motorway," in which
fantasizes about jumping in her car and getting away from her troubles in a kind of road-trip catharsis, have an expansive, ambient quality that seems to reflect a more introspective mood. In "Motorway" she sings "Getting late, coffee's cold/Heavy eyes on the road/We won't stop, no we won't break/Shadows high overtake/The small town we left behind/It's not even on my mind." These kind of ruminative, evocative lyrics permeate the record, lending it a more subdued feel than one might expect from
' previous dance-heavy singles. However, there are still enough vintage-influenced dance sounds and winky, glitter-mascara moments to appeal to even the most camp-oriented club kid. To these ends, the house-influenced "Every Night I Say a Prayer" brings to mind Blonde Ambition Tour-era
Madonna
, and "Broken Record," with its pulsing Italo-disco beat and church bell accents, sounds like an
ABBA
club hit produced by
Giorgio Moroder
. Ultimately, if
was
' booty-shaking call to the dancefloor, then
is the afterglow, post-party soundtrack for the ride home. ~ Matt Collar