Critics tune in to heartbreak in Lily Allen's comeback

When Lily Allen released her fifth album yesterday, there were as many headlines about the contents of the lyrics as there were reviews of the music.

- Laura Snapes

West End Girl, announced out of the blue on Monday, appears to concern the 40-year-old British pop star's divorce from the US actor David Harbour, who stars in the Netflix series Stranger Things. In interviews, Allen has been careful to liken the album to a work of autofiction, and told Vogue that while it does reference things she experienced in her marriage "that's not to say that it's all gospel".

Given its detailed, eye-popping tales of a husband breaking the terms of an open relationship, his emotional manipulation and his sex addiction, one would imagine that lawyers heavily advised her to add that caveat (Harbour has not yet responded to the album).

Speaking to Perfect magazine, Allen admitted the record would likely stoke her tempestuous relationship with the media. Still, beyond the obvious tabloid catnip -including lyrics about "sex toys, butt plugs, lube" on Pussy Palace some newspapers have bordered on sharply personal criticism when covering the album.

The headline on the Times' review said: "You almost feel sorry for David Harbour", while the Financial Times accused Allen of "a hollow performance".