Going for Gold

After a stunning run of albums as one half of electro-folk chameleons Goldfrapp, ethereally voiced frontwoman Alison Goldfrapp is going it alone and bringing her prerequisite polish to a fresh, fabulous new era -

- By Jamie Tabberer

Why shouldn’t pop music be intelligent?” I wonder aloud. “Quite” replies intelli-pop alchemist Alison Goldfrapp, with a raised eyebrow and a concise, authoritative tone that recalls a schoolteacher you’d trust with your life. “I’ve always thought the best pop songs are the best songs,” she continues. “When they’re great, they’re beyond.”

She’d know. From the robotic beats of ‘Strict Machine’ to the assertive synths of ‘Ooh La La’, and the pastoral simplicity of ‘A&E’ to the fizzy rush of ‘Rocket’, Goldfrapp’s singles discography has raised the bar of 21st-century British pop music. And while Alison and bandmate Will Gregory’s sparkling, genre-flipping oeuvre (seven studio LPs including five UK top-10 albums and their worldwide million-selling crowning glory, Supernature) famously caters for dance, indie and even classical music-lovers, their most fervent fan base is the Popjustice-lurking genre nerd for whom prestigious pop music is a religion.

So, what is this one of this century’s most prolific tastemakers listening to of late? “Tove Lo: ‘No One Dies from Love’, over and over,” Alison replies. “I absolutely love that song. It’s so good. Very electronic. It’s dancey, it’s pop, it’s Scandi. It’s such a great tune.” Goldfrapp’s spiritual ascendancy is right there in Tove’s 2022 single, of course… And it’s also evident in Alison’s long-awaited debut solo album,