"When I've finished with you there won't be any place left to hide... and I'll see to that"
The EP opens with Shot You Down. With it's video-game bleeps, insanely catchy guitar refrains and the fact that it is compiled of four or five lyrics that are repeated at seemingly random points, it's almost impossible for me not to make a connection between Florrie's music and that of Girls Aloud (which is the highest compliment I could give an artist, except for maybe comparing them to a hybrid of Britney and Madonna). This comparison isn't surprising considering Florrie's involvement with GA production house Xenomania, and much like a lot of their best work, Shot You Down avoids the typical 'verse-chorus-verse' song structure in favour of a 'hook-hook-hook' blueprint. Shot You Down is a thrilling way to open this EP and I dare any listener not to have 'I pull the trigger on our love' caught in their head after listening.
My personal favourite I'm Gonna Get You Back is next. The production on this song is instantly more urgent than on Shot You Down, eventually descending into a cacophony of spliced vocals, echoes and fizzy synths in the songs pleasantly surprising final minute. This song is breathless, fast paced and has more bears more than a striking resemblance to Marina & The Diamond's 'Electra Heart' opener Bubblegum Bitch. Think of I'm Gonna Get You Back as the classier older sister to Marina's Bubblegum Bitch, albeit a classy girl prone to mental breakdowns. It's also fitting that this is a song about the time after a relationship ends, as it could be seen as an aural account of a couple's time together, starting out relatively neat and organised and eventually collapsing into a bit of a (very pretty) mess. When a relationship sounds like this, it's no wonder Florrie wants him back.
According to Florrie Every Inch was written "a dark January night" and it's easy to see that the cold and dark weather imbued itself onto this song. There's a frosty exterior to this song, the girl singing it is not sympathetic and caring, her various put downs ("You got money in your pocket, your clothes are looking hot but I ain't looking for somebody like you") are icy and succinct, much like the song itself. There's also a background vocal (at least I think it's a vocal) that sounds just like a ghost, and it was one of the more innovative aspects of the EP that really stuck out to me. The stabbing synths of this song make it sound like a lost remix of an 80's track, and it is one of the most impressive songs Florrie has ever released.
The closer to the EP, To The End, is a well-timed breather of sorts. Not quite as hectic as the three songs which came before, this song reminds me of Sophie Ellis-Bextor when she is at her best. However this comparison doesn't extend to their vocals, as Florrie's voice has a lot more vulnerability in comparison to the ever detached Sophie, and To The End is one example where Florrie has the upper hand. While I prefer Florrie when she's making songs with a slightly more deranged production than To The End, it is a perfect way to close a collection of songs as strong as 'Late', and serves its purpose well as a segue between independent Florrie and her label-backed material to come.
Pop music this refreshing doesn't come around very often, and with the current popularity of LOLpop like LMFAO and Will.I.Am, it should be a necessity for any self-respecting music fan to download 'Late' and remind themselves just how amazing pop music can be. Florrie obviously has an ear for creating music which successfully rides the line between avant-garde and commercially catchy tunes, and I'm so glad she took her time as an independent artist to find and perfect her own sound because if 'Late' is anything to go by, her debut album is going to be something very special indeed.
