West End Girl

2024年に4年間の結婚生活に終止符を打ったLily Allenが自身の結婚生活&破綻について制作したコンセプト・アルバムをリリース!5作目のスタジオ・アルバムはニューヨーク生活を彼女鋭い洞察力と明晰さで描いたドキュメンタリーの側面も持っており、優れたソングライターということを改めて示す約7年半ぶりとなる待望の新作だ!

約7年半ぶりとなる5作目のスタジオ・アルバム(デジタル・リリースは2025年10月24日)。既にメディア(2019年)でもコンセプト・アルバム制作中と自身で語っていたが、作品は彼女のDavid Harbourとの結婚生活&破綻、彼の不貞疑惑への感情の動きなどを歌ったパーソナルなものとなった。
■仕様:デジスリーヴ、ブックレット

Returning out of the blue from another professional hiatus, Lily Allen unleashed a brutal, wounded breakup album, West End Girl. Centered on the dissolution of her relationship with actor David Harbour, this fifth set from the English pop singer is a brave, unflinching exercise in heartbreak that exposes her ex-husbands proclivities and the fallout from a seemingly one-sided open relationship. Assuming these sordid and unflattering lyrics are accurate -- the secondhand embarrassment generated by "Madeline" and "Pussy Palace" are enough to trigger anyone with even an ounce of empathy -- Harbour should be ducking for cover with shame. Lyrical shock value aside, the album sounds great, with its comforting blend of nostalgic throwback production ("West End Girl," "Sleepwalking," "Tennis") and more contemporary hyperpop-adjacent leanings ("Ruminating," "Relapse"). Plenty of these moments sound like a sonic progeny who Allen influenced over the years -- namely Raye, Lola Young, or Charli xcx -- giving everything a clean, full-circle feel, while highlights like the bouncy "Nonmonogamummy" with Specialist Moss and the sparkling R&B-pop tune "Dallas Major" could have been plucked from her debut era. Regardless of how good Allens vocals and the production quality may be, its a difficult listen. For anyone expecting the cheeky fun of her 2000s gems, theres no mirth to be found here. Its purely righteous anger, biting sarcasm, and cutting barbs, all draped in pain and disappointment. The bloodletting is cathartic and unexpected, making this a surprising maturation that makes Allen as relatable as shes ever been. ~ Neil Z. Yeung