By Alex
You see that little flourish above the ‘e’ in Little Rêd? That’s called a circumflex. Its origin is Greek, though many languages use it. One such language is Welsh, where it’s more commonly known as a ‘to bach’, meaning ‘little roof’. Which sounds a bit like Little Rêd, who also happens to be from Wales.
Still, it’s a pain. Like those parents who call their kids Zoë and insist you always spell it with the two little dots. Or people called Chloé, who were probably christened Chloe but thought adding a tilde would get them two weeks as an intern at Grazia. But I guess we’ll let Little Rêd off. She is Welsh, after all.
When she’s not adding little roofs to her e’s, Little Rêd makes synthpop. Shiny, lacquered, very well produced synthpop. Her latest track, ‘What Love Is’, is a bit like a decent alcopop. Spritzy, bubbly, a bit frothy even, it’s a dizzying, glittery fizz of sharp synths and soft, cushiony vocals. Like a WKD or something.
There’s something quite Katy B about the melancholy-dance vibes here, and there’s definitely something CHVRCHES-esque about the whole setup, which is certainly no bad thing. With its tingly production and catchy hook, ‘What Love Is’ is a satisfying taste of synthpop at its bittersweet best.
