Misfit Mod: Islands & Islands

Misfit Mod’s debut release drips an icy post-trip hop pop sensuality from the hypnotic, minimalist charm of her voice. At the risk of sounding like a wine-taster, she conjures fresh, girlish notes, with a determined edge. I also detect a hint of toughness beneath a languid smoky finish. Both comforting and distant, listening to Islands & Islands is almost like lying in bed half-asleep listening to the object of your affections sing codeine-infused or half-remembered versions of TLC’s “Waterfalls” in the shower. I enjoy the match-strike style percussion on “Cars” and the general narcoleptic and shell-shocked feel to the whole record as encapsulated by “Queen Love Zero”. More echoey vocals give “Ghost Me” and Pool House” a decidedly ethereal feel. Misfit Mod left her native New Zealand in 2008 and has wandered Europe polishing this record, arguably displaying a degree of perfectionism which might be expected of a certified sound engineer and former gallery curator.