La Roux announces new album ‘Old Flames’
Elly Jackson’s 4th album is out in November — and it promises an emotional journey.
Photo: Shan Steward
La Roux is back. Six years on from the release of her third album, Supervision, the solo moniker behind dance-pop classics Bulletproof and In For the Kill has unveiled a new LP. Old Flames is, in Elly Jackson’s own words, “the process of escaping from isolation”. The album’s lead single, Cabin Fever, is out now. According to Jackson, it’s the album’s beginning, “where it all started”.
Old Flames marks something of a comeback for the English synth-pop musician. La Roux (which was a duo until 2012 when producer Ben Langmaid left) has only released three full-length albums since 2008 and, while her debut went platinum in her native UK, reaching number two on the UK Albums chart, her most recent effort, Supervision, reached number 20.
Nevertheless, La Roux has enjoyed an enduring cult following despite the hiatus, which was broken by a string of shows across the US and Europe last year. Fans love her timeless, dancefloor-ready hits, and the new single, Cabin Fever, is a return to La Roux’s signature, technicoloured sound.
The track, which debuted during last year’s intimate live performances, follows the cool electro vibes of 2020’s International Woman of Leisure and Automatic Driver, and echoes Jackson’s second album, Trouble in Paradise. A visualiser for the album’s opener, Old Flames - Intro, is also out on YouTube. Together with Cabin Fever, both tracks form the starting point of the new album and, while it’s definitely ‘darker’ than Jackson’s earlier work (understandable, given the concept), it’s undeniably moreish.
La Roux is currently scheduled to open for Hilary Duff on her lucky me tour, performing across the US in June of this year, and then the United Kingdom in September.
