Released: 27 August 2021
Toyah embodies the essence of pop music on her latest LP ‘Posh Pop’
The collection was recorded with husband Robert Fripp and co-writer/producer Simon Darlow during lockdown – a theme that underpins each of the 10 tracks.
Opener and lead single Levitate deals with the forced confinement and sees the star rise beyond the realms of the pandemic and reacquaint herself with a world seemingly gone by.
It encompasses the overall theme of the album, which for listeners and as a creative pursuit for Toyah, is about escapism.
While songs like Space Dance and Rhythm In My House are through and through pop numbers, the genius of ‘Posh Pop’ is in the lyrics, which simultaneously reference the world today while remaining timeless.
Zoom Zoom is an anthem for change that’s clearly inspired by the video conferencing platform, yet the phrase itself refers more generally to pushing forward and getting things done.
Another track, The Bride Will Return, can be heard in the context of wedding ceremonies being cancelled, while Kill the Rage – ‘Wash me clean beneath the rain / Freedom is calling’ – has myriad interpretations.
Barefoot on Mars, the most personal cut on the LP, explores the singer’s relationship with her late mother while reflecting on those who lost loved ones while visiting hours were off the cards.
‘I walked away / I know that you loved me / Turned my back on all you valued / I held you when you died’ she sings.
‘Posh Pop’ is as much about the past 16 months as it is about Toyah navigating the situation while forced off the road and left without work.
It comes to a head with Take Me Home, which looks forward to a return to normalcy and – for Toyah – stepping back on stage.
It’s apt that ‘Posh Pop’ is out weeks after Toyah performed her first gig in almost two years, marking the beginning of a new chapter for the singer with a body of work that stands amongst the best of her career.
‘Posh Pop’ is available on CD, CD+DVD and vinyl.
