7/10

Over the last few years, the influence of the 80s sound has penetrated far and wide into the direction of modern music. With many artists taking cues from everything from synth-pop to shoegaze, the sound of more than thirty years ago has come roaring back with a ferocious pace. But unlike many new acts today, no-one has coopted the retro sound as much as singer and producer Liam Brown aka Pizzagirl, whose debut album 'first timer' is a strong and positive love letter to his favourite era, embracing it fully as a well-rounded and definitive path for himself.

While many have compared him to the oddball approach of new wave singers like Ariel Pink, Pizzagirl's sound fits far better with acts like Talking Heads and DEVO by fully incorporating the weird and off-kilter approach many of those artists had and adding very little in the way of outside influences from a more modern time. The result is almost like a bubble of musical exploration that confines itself to a time but not as an aesthetic, as he regularly spreads his creative wings to adopt elements of indie-pop and electronica to deliver a wonderfully eccentric and diverse debut offering.

What seems most refreshing about 'first timer' is its complete lack of pretence in its delivery, regularly exploding into an array of fun and exciting ideas that just encourage you to have a good time with it. Fresh and captivating throughout, this initial release shows that paying tribute to an older sound needn't become a meek and dated release.