I love it when artists experiment with different genres, so upon hearing veryhandsomebilly’s latest record I Know Girls, I couldn’t help but love it! The New Zealand artist melds together elements of rock, pop, disco and funk into one awesome package, marking himself as a different kind of musician to his peers. It’s a great record, regardless of the genres you normally listen to – why not give it a go at the end of this review?

By Jane Howkins

I Know Girls starts out in style with anthemic opener Flip Phone. It’s extremely upbeat, having a positively infectious sound that will get right under your skin in no time. The rhythm section throbs through the tune as some cool guitar riffs tail off occasionally, with a set of glorious horns at times to really make this track stand out. And who can forget veryhandsomebilly’s vocals, soaring with a glorious range throughout the piece.

E-Girl is quite a poppy tune, having something of a mainstream pop sound. However, it’s also undeniably funky, opening with a cool bassline that simply oozes attitude, working its way through the music in a killer way. I’m not normally a massive fan of the use of vocal effects, but veryhandsomebilly uses them really well here, also introducing some synthesised high-pitched vocals into the mix on occasion. This is possibly the catchiest track on the EP, sure to bother the charts!

Pay the Wolf is another track that mixes a modern pop sensibility with an old school funk sound, making for something really cool in the present day! Once again, the bass is exceedingly prominent, pulsating along with the beat and retro guitar style, as the horns quietly add to the background of the piece. Just try and listen to this without wanting to dance along!

All I Need furthers the retro sound even more, making for an incredibly danceable piece of music. The electric guitars take more of a centre stage here, but they never take over the track, showing the sheer talent of the songwriting skills on offer here. What’s even more amazing is that this is the work of just one artist, paving the way for a fantastic musical future for veryhandsomebilly!

Johnny is more of a standard pop-rock tune, closing things out nicely. It’s another track that seems full to the brim of attitude and a palpable sense of cool, as the verses raise the tension up to the awesome choruses. It’s another anthemic banger, packed with singalong lyrics and a nice 70s pop sensibility.

I predict that veryhandsomebilly will do very well within the modern music industry, if I Know Girls is anything to go by!

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