Having previously appeared on BlackPlastic with her chugging anthem, Heartbreak Hollywood, and the warm blanket of Dopamine, Ladysse is once again back on these pages, and in my ears.
Where Ladysse, real name Stephanie Lauren, has generally stuck out for St Vincent style sophistication, here on Saint she is channeling something different. Saint feels akin to the quiet-loud-quiet of Kim Deal meets the modern-alt-rock of Metric. Opening with some seriously low-slung bass guitar, kick-drum and snares, the song initially leans heavily into Stephanie’s attitude-heavy vocal delivery.
It is Saint’s chorus that really lodges itself in my memory, however, kicked off by Lauren crying “I give up…” as the instruments let loose around her. Fuzzy guitars join that bass guitar to create a wall of noise, and the drums keep kicking like a hole punch sliding in-and-out of my mind. The whole performance wreaks of confidence, Ladysse on top of her game and throwing down so much more than expected on this track.