Kate Nash surprised her fans in the summer of 2012 by trading in her commercially successful confessional piano pop for grungy guitar rock on the single “Under-Estimate the Girl.” Girl Talk, Nash’s third album since being discovered on MySpace in 2006, continues with the shriek-singing and guitar-addled melodies, but nevertheless, it seems that this is a new musical stage for the British artist; Kate
Nash is going blues rock. Her risk-taking is admirable, creating a scattered album that has her screaming about sexism, detailing heartaches with monotone blasé, and finishing with an acappella ballad that leads into an overwrought, soundtrack-like instrumental section. Underneath the abrasive vocals, Nash’s sound is more calculated and polished than ever, but the polish goes too far. The fragile emotion and anecdotal lyrics that made her resonate with fans when she first burst onto the music scene have been wiped away. In its place is an album that cannot seem to decide what direction it wants to go in, resulting in a wholly forgettable experience.
