From A girl who never sleeps by Femmepop
I first became familiar with the work of Margaret O’Sullivan aka ‘Femmepop’, when a friend of mine turned me onto her debut EP, entitled ‘Kick’. Released it 2009, it took me back to the alternative rock sounds of the early 90’s and drew some resemblance to the likes of Hole and The Breeders. Even from my first listen, it was immediately evident that O’Sullivan was enormously talented, her abilities as a singer/songstress were unquestionably accomplished from the get go and her songs never faltered in conviction and sincerity from beginning to end.
Following the release of ‘Kick’, Femmepop released a handful of singles, the first being ‘Beautiful Boy’ in 2013, a hooky sugar coated rock song, complete with a dirty guitar riff that wouldn’t sound out of a place at a riot grrrl show. The same year saw Femmepop transition into synth-pop with her single, ‘1983’, shortly followed by the first of 3 back to back collaborative singles, ‘Timescapes’ and ‘Our time’ both with Timecop 1983 and ‘Not that kind’ with Robert Parker.
On September 17th 2014, Femmepop released ‘From a girl who never sleeps’, her debut full length album, of which she wrote, recorded and produced. Mixing and mastering duties on the album were carried out by Gavin Monaghan, of who has previously worked with Babes in Toyland and The Twang. This eleven track gem is a perfect representation of O’Sullivan and she succeeds here in stitching together different sounds and influences, almost as if she were presenting you with a mix-tape. I’ve read a couple of reviews of this album that have highlighted that it sounds uneven in places and that the fusion of guitar and drum songs along with straight up synth songs doesn’t quite work together. I on the other hand believe that this only adds to its overall charm and in return makes for a much more interesting listen. In turn this further showcases O’Sullivan as not a one trick pony but as an artist with versatility. As a whole this record takes us on a nostalgic trip, with an overall tone that is greatly upbeat and hopeful. As a synth record it delivers with ease and songs like ‘Neon Nights’ and ‘Astrogate’ could hold their own even against some of the retro scenes big hitters. Femmepop’s vocal range is incredible and at times is reminiscent of Madonna, helping cast the mind back to when the self proclaimed Material Girl was making good records. Whether you’re a fan of Femmepop’s guitar sound or her synth sound, the truth is that there’s something here for everyone and I strongly believe things will go from strength to strength for her. If your going to do anything today, swing by her bandcamp page and check it out for yourself. You wont be disappointed.
– Rhys Pearce
