Over the course of seven albums between 2000 and 2017, Goldfrapp – Alison plus Will Gregory – were never afraid to cross-pollinate genres, whether creating the brilliant glam-dancefloor hybrid of Supernature or the hypnotic rustic electronica of Seventh Tree. Given that, it’s a slight surprise that The Love Invention, her solo debut, is so uncomplicated. It comprises 11 slices of (admittedly superior) disco and house, with little in the way of unexpected deviation.
Opener NeverStop sets the tone, a soft, slightly otherworldly vocal floating above an insistent and irresistible rhythm. The pulsating So Hard So Hot somehow manages to marry sensuality and climate crisis fears (“We should be here and now and love what we got,” she breathily sings); Digging Deeper Now is blessed with a divine chorus. But elsewhere the likes of Hotel (Suite 23) and In Electric Blue are a little underwhelming, and you realise that for an album aimed so squarely at the dancefloor, what’s lacking is a standout floor-filler. There’s nothing here that comes close to Ooh La La, and some of these slight but elegant songs just fade too far into the background.
