Albums: Say She She - Silver

Say She She is a three-piece based in Brooklyn, New York, whose music is very reminiscent of Nile Rodgers and Chic, with other influences coming from The Mary Jane Girls and Tom Tom Club.

Piya Malik, Sabrina Mileo Cunningham, and Nya Gazelle Brown are all classically trained in singing, which can be heard throughout the album as the trio mixes operatic vocals over disco-infused beats where the music is unashamedly joyous.

After making a huge impact on Later... with Jools on BBC2 last autumn, anyone who then decided to explore Say She She’s semaphore album will not be disappointed. While the sixteen-song album might appear as a mammoth sprawl on first hearing, patience and repeated plays bring surprising results.

The production is not glossy; the album has been recorded using traditional analogue technology, which gives the songs a rougher edge.

Standout tracks include the haunting Reeling, the addictive Astral Plane, and the single C’est Si Bon, where the trio delivers an unusual pop number that delivers an eccentric ride through one of the best pop songs of the last year.

While most of the tracks here bounce along in an upbeat fashion, Norma puts the spotlight on abortion laws in America; Reeling takes the view that we should be taking more care of the planet with Echo Chamber dealing with the debate about gun laws.

The result, though, is an album where the American-British act sounds retro yet highlights contemporary issues in a mix that is intoxicating, intriguing, and ultimately ingenious.