Mascara Streakz [CD]

Altered Images - Mascara Streakz [CD]

How does an artist approach writing and recording new music after 39 years away? For Altered Images, the process was as much about the here-and-now rather than pure nostalgia - drawing upon the things that fans adored the first time around, but also respecting just how much everyone has changed in the intervening years. Matched by lyrics which explore the highs and lows of life’s rich tapestry, it’s an approach which makes new album ‘Mascara Streakz’ such an intriguing prospect. Lead single ‘Mascara Streakz’ captures the essence of what Altered Images aimed to achieve with the album. Like their big hits and fan favourites, it is instantly immediate but its synth-pop melody and contemporary beats are an evolution from the band’s original spiky guitar pop style. The result respects everything that Altered Images were the first time around, but also sounds like a very organic next step and was produced by Clare’s husband, Altered Images alumni Stephen Lironi. The second song from the album ‘Beautiful Thing’, is a whirlwind of conflicting emotions, as sadness, joy and nostalgia converge into a moment of ultimately uplifting sophisticated pop. Clare’s vocals again standout, her famous sweet coo now weathered with an engagingly husky edge. ‘Beautiful Thing’ was written by Clare and Bobby Bluebell of The Bluebells (‘Young At Heart’, ‘I’m Falling’). Current single ‘Glitter Ball’ is - appropriately enough - dazzling disco decadence. Sleek sparkling synths, choppy funk guitar patterns and punchy 808 beats coalesce for a floorfiller that Classic Pop compared to Kylie Minogue’s ‘Fever’ era. Clare wrote ‘Glitter Ball’ with her near neighbour Bernard Butler who’s talents have been deployed on everything from early Suede to Duffy’s big hits and, most recently, his collaborative album with Jesse Buckley, ‘For All Our Days That Tear The Heart’.