Theoretical Girl

Our review
Customer reviews
Press release
Soundclips

4...according to our Brett on Thu 13 Aug, 2009.

A illustrator friend of mine has been doing a particularly good job with the cover art for the Theoretical Girl singles from new album 'Divided'. That was enough to spark an interest in Southend singer/songwriter Amy Eleanor Turnnidge and her unique take on indie pop. This is a slick little selection produced aptly and littered with cheeky string arrangements, percussive splashes and multi layered vocal melodies. All the more surprising when you realize Amy is doing all the work, playing the majority of the instruments and arranging the strings as well as singing beautifully. First track 'Rivals' and 'Red Mist' have proceeded this album in single form and are two of the strongest tracks on the LP, casually mixing dance floor grooves with indie pop sensibilities to great effect. 'Red Mist' has a really twisted riff that sounds like a spooky Arctic Monkeys, in a way. 'Dancehall Deceit' also strikes a chord with it's odd-ball vocal melody and disco throwback sound. Elsewhere on 'Divided' we get Belle and Sebastian-esque twee pop infused with folk influences that balance out the mix of the album and give Amy the opportunity to wax lyrical on the subject unrequited love and past mistakes made. Excellent stuff. The artwork is loving illustrated by the able hand of Luke Drozd, just in case you are interested.

To play these clips you need to either update your browser (Norman Records recommends Google Chrome) or update your Flash plugin.

Conjured into existence 3 years ago by Southend-on-Sea siren Amy Turnnidge, Theoretical Girl has been busy making waves and leaving a trail of swooning hearts in her wake. And finally she is set to release her highly anticipated debut album.

Recorded last autumn in North London with Grammy nominated remixer, producer and general sound-fiend Andy Chatterley, ‘Divided’s 12 tales of unrequited love, mistakes and regrets are juxtaposed against twisting melodies and grooves.

Take recent single, ‘Rivals’, a song that is both heartbreaking and danceable in equal measure, where swooping strings and delicate vocals, offset a tale of friendship disappointed, the regret and calamity of binds unbound. Or the title track itself, where sweet chamber pop is overlaid with the mantra “Our love is unrequited, We’ll always be divided”, repeated to the point of psychosis. Other standouts include live favourite ‘Red Mist’ all ESG groove and feminine aggression, and ‘I Should Have Loved You More’ where self-recrimination is set to perfect sunshine-pop.

Amy professes to take inspiration from such diverse sources as 60s girl groups, Tom Waits, Billy Joel, Purcell and even the classic twee pop of Sarah Records, and her hands on approach is surely a testament to her DIY roots – when she’s not multi-tasking on bass, keys, guitar and vocals she’s arranging and scoring the strings. As further evidence to her song writing talent, the tracks sound equally as special when stripped down to just her sweet voice and acoustic guitar, as they do when performed live with her full backing band The Equations.

With the album out in August, plus her debut Glastonbury performance lined up, Amy’s come a long way from her DIY roots back in Southend. And she wants to keep pushing it further: “I want to keep writing, keep playing, keep adding to the live band and end up fronting a full orchestra”. Which at the rate she’s going won’t be too long. Listen and swoon…

Be the first to review this record. Best reviewer each month gets £10 off their next order!