"Even the most emotionally challenging songs on Showbiz feel lit up with the glee of self-invention, phrasing various flavors of heartbreak in the boldest, most colorful production possible. The brilliantly busy disco of "Unconditional"-which feels like the moody cousin of Annie's " Me Plus One"-was written after her mother was diagnosed with lupus and underlines its urgent plea for a loved one to take care of themself with sudden intrusion of thrashing guitars."
"Part of what made "Angel of My Dreams" feel like such a revelation was that Thirlwall tapped into a strain of flamboyance that hadn't already been exaggerated by hyperpop: the overblown melisma of girl-group singing. Thirlwall's pipes have always been an incredibly powerful instrument, but her pyrotechnic vocals on Little Mix songs were often deployed to such basic and self-consciously showy ends that they seemed far less remarkable than they actually were."
Showbiz largely abandons behind-the-scenes bummers of entertainment in favor of spectacle and self-invention. Even emotionally challenging songs are presented with glee and bold, colorful production. "Unconditional" mixes disco urgency with thrashing guitars after a lupus diagnosis, pleading for a loved one to care for themself. "Before You Break My Heart" repurposes the Supremes into an echoey, ecstatic banger; the expensive sample led JADE to forswear royalties. "Headache" shifts from teasing to distortion, ending with a gasped, conflicted line. Thirlwall emphasizes overblown girl-group melisma and deploys voice-belting, crooning, and faux-rapping across synth-driven anthems.
Read at Pitchfork
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