Review: Blondie – Panic Of Girls

Veteran American rockers, Blondie are back with their ninth studio album, Panic Of Girls. After various solo projects – mainly lead singer Debbie Harry’s acting career solo album, Necessary Evil, the band have returned and are back on form. Here’s a little overview of the standout tracks:

Mother
The first (and likely only) single from Panic of Girls is an excellent combination of classic Blondie with a modern twist. The sound has hugely improved since the band’s prior offering The Curse of Blondie in 2003. It’s an insanely catchy song with Harry’s voice still sounds excellent, and shines over a funky techno beat. You can listen to Mother here. You should always listen to Mother, she knows best (unless you’re Norman Bates).

Love Doesn’t Frighten Me and What I Heard (AKA The Proper Rockin’ Tracks!)
The first feels like it’s been lifted from one the bands 1980s albums. Harry’s voice feels raw and powerful as she belts out ‘Love doesn’t frighten me at all’. What I Heard genuinely feels like it could be a track from a current chart topping rock group – it’s wonderful hearing Blondie’s take on modern rock.

Wipe of My Sweat, Girlie Girlie and The End The End (AKA The Reggae Tracks)
Blondie meets Eurovision. These feel very Mediterranean and are little step back from the soft rock sound. The frequent references to ‘Pappi Pappi’ in Wipe of My Sweat give J-Lo a run for her money. Girlie Girlie feels like a 21st Century answer to The Tide is High, with it’s beautiful reggae influences – making you feel as if you’re on a tropical island with a cocktail, getting ready to limbo. The End The End on the album, also shares the reggae vibe incredibly well.

That’s just a few of the best tracks, the whole album is generally excellent with fantastic production values and  outstanding vocals from Harry. There’s only one track I’m not overly keen on, which is the first on the album, D-Day, however, I can see it growing on me with more listens. Panic Of Girls is a strong step up from the band’s last studio effort and firmly puts Blondie back in it’s place as music icons. Like The Human League’s Credo and Duran Duran’s All You Need Is Now, this year, we’re shown you can’t beat the old ones.