by Eliana Fermi
Perimenopop is Sophie Ellis-Bextor’s most self-possessed dance record in years. The twelve hi-gloss and unabashedly ’80s-coded ‘ tracks are carried by a voice that knows exactly how to cut through shimmer. What’s striking is the hooks and how live drums, orchestral strings, and muscular bass parts keep the record feeling human inside its neon shell. Sophie’s confidence comes through with her clear diction, vibrato control, and playful phrasing.
Across the album, you hear a considered hybrid instrumentation with punchy drum programming and synth architecture softened by organic anchors. Live kit drums, hand percussion, and real strings add warmth. David Arnold’s arrangements (“Vertigo,” “Dolce Vita,” “Diamond in the Dark,” “Heart Sing”) supply cinematic framing. Celli underpin chorus weight as violas and violins add frosting without crowding the midrange where Sophie’s alto sits. Widescreen reverbs and chorus/delay nod to ’80s studio grammar, but the low end is modern. The full kick-bass relationship, controlled sub, and sidechain-aware movement come from a dance translation. Programming contributions from David Wrench across most tracks give a coherent pulse, while live players, e.g., Guy Pratt’s bass and Jackson Ellis-Leach’s drums, keep groove contours supple rather than grid-locked electo-pop.
Sophie’s vocal profile remains unmistakable with her cool-satin timbre with point-perfect consonants, a hint of sly distance that flips into warmth when harmonies bloom. She leans into three winning behaviors. Crisp, speech-driven verses with minimal vibrato; chorus releases where she opens the vowel and lets overtones bloom; and layered BGVs that function as a harmonic instrument. The vocal harmonies are often triadic with octave doubles and a tucked-in third above for sparkle. Production sheen varies track-to-track, sometimes drier, forward leads; elsewhere, a luxe hall/plate tail that sells nostalgia without fogging intelligibility.
An ideal opener, “Relentless Love” has a disco pulse, resilient octave-jump bass, and bright comping synths. Karma Kid and Baz Kaye’s production pairs clean four-on-the-floor with live kit emphasis (cymbal lift on pre-choruses), while Guy Pratt’s bass lines keep it elastic rather than loop-stiff. Sophie sits on top of the groove with flirty phrasing in the verse and a widened vowel at the hook; stacked harmonies thicken the second chorus without masking the lead.
“Vertigo” is a string-driven disco-pop experience with a cinematic tilt. Arnold’s strings hue and double synth hooks; they counter-melody into the chorus, letting Sophie glide rather than belting. The bridge drops density for a brief breath, showing its smart arrangement that resets ear fatigue before the final lift. Vocal color is a glassy head-mix with an airy top that recalls ABBA-era drama, but diction and mic proximity keep it contemporary.
Italo-tinted sunshine finds “Dolce Vita” relating a brisk drum machine pocket with live percussion flickers, rhythm-guitar chanks, and string shimmers. The chorus hook is all economy with a two-bar lift and immediate repetition, giving Sophie the stage to play with articulation. Backing vocals are full, and the mastering keeps the sibilants tame while preserving the gloss.
As advertised, “Glamorous” brings arpeggiated synths, snappy claps, and a bass synth that moves in a varying lilt rather than pure root-thumping. The vocal stacks are subtle, answering with close-voiced triads panned wide with a centered lead, with a little tape-slap on ad-libs for sheen. It reads as high-fashion but still human.
“Stay On Me” is a mid-tempo stunner. The arrangement lets breath and lyric sit forward: tighter drum programming, rounded polysynth pads, then a late-song dynamic build. Sophie’s performance shows multiple angles. An almost whispered consonants in verse one, then she leans into longer line-ends for a feeling of insistence.
“Time” has a moody intro, minor-key padwork, and restrained drums that delay gratification until the chorus hits. The ’80s vocabulary is tasteful with chorused guitar coloration, gated-reverb snare tail that’s shorter than retro purists might expect (a smart contemporary choice). Vocally, Sophie shapes phrases with subtle onsets and lifts, using less belt, more contour, so the chorus expansion feels earned.
Lead-single, “Freedom of the Night” has disco DNA and a narrative of self-possession. The kick-and-hat relationship is textbook dance-pop clarity, leaving a minty midrange slot for the lead. Sophie’s delivery is taut on verses, then she rounds off in the hook. Her faint vowel darkening to connote power without volume is a nice touch.
“Layers” is arranged like its name, in an additive build, each chorus bringing a new timbral slice (counter-synth, then backing-vocal pad, then a splash of strings). Sophie’s mic technique
Rather than retro cosplay, Perimenopop treats ’80s vocabulary as a toolkit in service of a grown artist’s point of view. The confidence that defined Sophie’s Kitchen Disco era and the “Saltburn” revival are the grounding elements to be maximal, to enjoy groove, to say things plainly. It’s the sound of Ellis-Bextor knowing her register, her mic distance, and her audience, and who can still make the dance floor feel like a place for honesty. That’s the short of it!
