The Pipettes - Stop The Music

With the Stop The Music EP The Pipettes have released their first batch of new material since their debut album We Are The Pipettes some four years ago. With their second full length release, Earth Vs. The Pipettes, due out at the end of June, is this EP able to well and truly whet our appetites in anticipation of their new direction?

Those who were lucky enough to attend that magical night in Fibbers three weeks ago, or have just followed their progress online, will have already gotten over the shock of their new sound. In a past life this musical threesome donned polka-dot gowns and matched their synchronised dance moves with canny lyrics about ‘Sex’ and ‘One Night Stands’. Now though, a few members later, The Pipettes have traded this in for a sound placed somewhere between 1978 and 1983, alongside a newfound sense of romantic optimism.

This has in no way impacted on the sense of fun which still makes most of this EP sound like an indie-pop sugar rush. However one thing that has become slightly lost amidst the production values is the sense of individuality. Their previous line-up was heavily-accented and had an independent attitude that garnered attention due to their well-executed nonchalance. Now though the change in tactics has resulted in a space-age image of two sisters out for a good time. The real question on most of our lips is whether the material showcased on the Stop The Music EP is as strong as their stuff? Sadly when this disc is taken as a whole the answer is a no. However, this negative view is completely due to the final two tracks whose presence is a liability to the fantastic pop that has been showcased in the record’s first half.

What is great about this though is that neither of these weaker tracks has found themselves a place on the album (hurrah!) which restored some of the lost faith. Sadly there is a casualty in the form of ‘So I’ll Say Goodbye’. This song’s thumping beat and fantastic vocal arrangements are exactly what we hoped would be borne from The Pipettes going eighties and should have been a shoo-in for a possible single. The fact that such an exemplary song has been relegated to its fate as a B-Side is strangely exciting as it means that better material awaits us in a month’s time.

With tracks inspired by Swedish pop and the euro-dance movement, The Pipettes have successfully crossed-over between genres and decades. The Stop The Music EP may not be as uniformly strong as we had hoped, but if we are to go by the songs that have been cherry-picked for inclusion on the forthcoming album, as well as the new tracks played on tour, Earth Vs. The Pipettes is going to be one hell of a release.

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