“Wake up, wake up, wake up, wake up”. That’s what RONIKA commands you to do from the second the albums opener “Forget Yourself” kicks in, and it’s exactly what you should do; cause this is one of the finest pop albums ever made.
As you lot have probably gathered, the album title is a homage to Nottingham’s legendary independent record store that used to reside on Friar Lane and Goldsmith Street – a place that helped shape Ron’s music. Well, we’re very happy that RONIKA spent a lot of time in Selectadisc, as it’s helped her make an absolutely incredible Pop record.
See, the thing you need to understand about this LP, is that every single track is amazing. Seriously, The album is full of 13 HUGE groovy, dancefloor bangers. Bangers that would sound just as good in the middle of a sweaty UK club at 4AM, as they would on a beach party in Ibiza at four in the afternoon. Don’t believe me? Fine, then listen to Notion Magazine, who described every single track as a “dancefloor filler” and agreed that “every [track] will be stuck in your head for weeks to come”!
Ron’s managed to take all the best bits of 80s pop, and mash it up with elements from Disco, Acid House, and a few other genres. The result is something that doesn’t sound like anything else around at the moment. “What’s In Your Bag” has one of the best synth lines I’ve ever heard, and the bridge has been stuck in my head for days on end. It’s the kind of song that has you shouting along at the top of your lungs, no matter where you are… I’d like to take this opportunity to issue a formal apology to my neighbours…
“Earthrise” on the other hand, offers the more sensitive side of RONIKA. If you saw the lyric “Please, wait for me, cause I don’t wanna be alone, oh no no no”, down on paper, you’d probably expect a piano ballad. RONIKA makes it a dancefloor anthem!
This album has definitely been worth the wait. Hopefully the LP will launch Ron into the superstardom that she deserves, but, if it doesn’t, we’re pretty sure this will be a cult pop album, that people will be talking about for years to come. It’s one of the best albums of the year… wait, what am I talking about? This is one of the finest Pop albums ever made, and easily one of my favourite albums of all time. And that’s coming from “the pop guy” folks.
Yours in Love of New Music,
Sam Nahirny x
P.S LeftLion have done a photographic interview with Ron on the release of her album. You can find it HERE.
