While the collaboration between Micci Lou and Chris O-Ten borrows their name from a Gary Numan song released back on 1981’s Dance, the group’s art-punk electronic attack owes far more to the latter day Numan heard on albums like Splinter (Songs From A Broken Mind). Shifting between rich synths and a soaring industrial din, She’s Got Claws are anything but gentle on Doppelganger.
Much like Numan, 80s synth-pop aces OMD returned in the last decade with some of their most engaging work to date and it is OMD bassist Andy McCluskey behind the board producing several tracks for She’s Got Claws including lead single “Adulation” – the perfect introduction to what the band does best. Fans of OMD’s recent work will find a lot to enjoy on Doppelganger as the Kraftwerk influence they showcased so brilliantly on The Punishment of Luxury percolates on tracks such as “Musik”.
Throughout the album, the bass work steals your attention. O-Ten’s masterful use of effects gives each song a rich texture on the low end that grounds songs which might otherwise drift into the ether. It is familiar territory for fans of the genre which is a blessing and a curse. A few years ago, Roman Remains released Zeal and nailed this crunchy synth-punk style in much the same way.
The vocal effects are taken to the extreme throughout the album but the pop-hooks are fresh and alive. In fact, “Dreaming My Eyes Open” holds its own with some of Ladytron’s best work and I could imagine it being a club hit for Britney Spears in an alternate universe. Musically, Doppelganger delivers a lot of engaging noise that shakes your speakers but the art remains out of focus.
Perhaps, that is the intention behind titling the album as they have but you find yourself waiting for Micci Lou to reveal herself as she sings “I want you to know, I want you to see”. Who is this person inside the songs? Is she real or is she a replicant? Is this art or artifice? We never find out. Good enough to keep you listening while suspicious of its motives, She’s Got Claws take a step forward into the spotlight and now it is up to them to show us who and what is real.