With one of the most eagerly awaited albums of the year, Roisin Murphy marks her return from the wilderness after eight years. After an initial listen you could be forgiven for thinking ‘Hairless Toys’ is a relatively reserved affair, but gradually the album gives up its inner treasures over repeated listening. Murphy’s vocals are understated – not many encounters with the glitterball here – but there is a real tension on tracks like ‘Evil Eyes’, which opens out with wide synths in the chorus and then takes a funkier turn half way through, and the urgent ‘Exploitation’, which is a bundle of nerves. ‘Who’s exploiting who?’, sings Murphy. There are only eight songs here and they are lengthy affairs, allowing each to grow naturally. The finely observed and exquisitely tense ‘House Of Glass’ is a case in point, as is the compelling closing track ‘Unputdownable’, just like the book it describes. There are warmer tracks here too – Uninvited Guest especially – as Murphy posts a high quality return. Let’s just hope she doesn’t leave it as long until the next one!
5 out of 5
Reviewed by Ben Hogwood
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