Towa Bird’s eagerly-awaited second studio album ‘Gentleman’ is a rush and a comedown. Its opening moves are packed with incisive queer storytelling, her strongest vocals to date and electrifying guitars, but it struggles to maintain that momentum as time draws on.
The opening title track is nothing short of delicious. Kicking off with an explosive riff, Towa’s sultry vocals are pair so well with steamy lyrics: “Left her / Undressed / All sweat, lick the salt off my neck.” These seductive undertones run throughout the record before peaking with Dog — a song that is raw and vulnerable but delivered in a way that’s almost primal.
Don’t Want To Hear About It is less about that, uncovering the blueprints of her debut album ‘American Hero’ and sweeter tracks such as Wild Heart.
Its drums and guitars still have a rock edge but here Towa’s voice is all velvet. The rhyme scheme in the chorus is particularly clever: “Lips and power trips / control and tight grips / But I don’t wanna hear about it.”
Gap In Your Teeth follows a similar format with high-energy guitars similar to bands like Circa Waves, but it’s largely downhill from here. The second half of ‘Gentleman’ feels a little rushed and samey, its more deliberate tempos struggling to match the run of truly great songs that kicked off the record, missing the charm of Towa’s signature sound in the process.
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