Greta Isaac – ‘Dolly Zoom’ EP review: brief, but packs a punch
Whether you’re of the opinion that ‘Brat summer’ is over or not, it was made evidently clear that we’re going to be feeling the aftershock of its initial impact for several years, perhaps decades, to come.
The entire schtick might be ready to be retired from Charli XCX’s live shows in the hope she can conjure up something new, but that doesn’t mean that its influence is going to have to die away.
The thing is, the prelude to the pop slogan of 2024 had been brewing for a long time, so for it to wither away without a victory lap after just 12 months would be unfair on those who worked hard to thrust it into the public eye. Brat took a considerable amount of inspiration from the likes of Sophie and the PC Music roster, which in turn, was taking inspiration from pop and dance music aesthetics that were initially in vogue in the mid-2000s, so naturally, there’s going to be a chain reaction where this influence begins to seep into the next crop of pop stars.
Greta Isaac’s new EP, Dolly Zoom, sees the logical continuation of these styles, where a rejuvenation of old trends is being mixed with contemporary thought for a new generation. The thing is, Greta Isaac isn’t exactly a new name. She’s released a further three EPs since 2021, as well as a studio album with her short-lived supergroup, Fizz, which also contained Dodie and Orla Gartland. Isaac was also born in 1995, so it’s not like she’s only seeing the tides turning in favour of this style of music and jumping on a bandwagon; she’s making the music she grew up on.
It’s easy to be cynical about people attempting to rehash something that’s been done countless times, but what happens when you do a decent job of it, and it’s clear that it isn’t being done in an act of mimicry? Yes, Dolly Zoom is far more influenced by pop and dance music than the vast majority of what she’s released before, but considering her 2022 EP, I Think You’d Hate It Here, dabbled in this already, it doesn’t feel like a forced move into a territory that Isaac is artistically uncomfortable in.
Over the course of four songs that race by in an instant, Isaac presents this new alter ego who makes music that feels akin to a sugar rush. Dolly Zoom doesn’t last long, but the high you get from its dramatic warping bass synths and attitude-filled vocal delivery is something you’ll end up craving another hit of at the end. Yes, there are clunky lyrics here and there, and the odd moment where things feel a bit too derivative of an era some of us would rather forget, but for the most part, it’s an interesting artistic development that packs as much fun as possible into nine minutes.
Defining track – ‘SOFT SCOOP TALKING DOG’: The opening track hits in exactly the way you want the first taste of an artistic shift to do. You’re not left wondering why Isaac has chosen to take this direction; you’re immediately finding yourself on board with it.
For fans of: Short, sharp statements, concise pop bangers and Y2K nostalgia.
A concluding comment from the 2007 Gatekeeper’s Advisory Board: “I think it might finally be time to give it up to the next generation, they seem to have adopted it as their own.”
Release Date: August 8th | Producer: Dan Bartlett, Mark Elliott & Matt Zara | Label: Kartel
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