Blimey what is this – the fourth Gizelle Smith single in as many months? Let it not be said that she’s one to rest on her laurels. Here Smith packs off an ex. on Dust with a ‘5-4-3-2-1’ countdown refrain – sure to invite audience participation – over hectic drums augmented by an appropriate amount of guitar wah. On the flip (for yes, this is a vinyl 7″), is the equally heavily syncopated Hey Romeo though now Smith is vamping it up and threatening to break an aspiring lover’s heart. For anyone wondering what that might sound like, simply flip the wax and play again from the start of side A. It’s like some sort of post-modern game isn’t it? First you sympathise with Smith on side A, then you sympathise with the prospective lover on side B, then listen to side A again and you find yourself wondering if the ex. is actually the one from side B and this track actually constitutes the second stage of an overall narrative rather than the first. Then you think, “No – that’s a patriarchally indoctrinated mindset talking right there.” And then you think, maybe it’s just two unrelated cuts reflecting the timeless dichotomy of soul lyrics and you should get out more. Down to the club perhaps.
(Out now on Jalapeno Records)