Theoretical Girl - The Hypocrite/Never Good Enough

On this, her third single, Theoretical Girl employs the assistance of producer Seiji (Roisin Murphy) and engineer Al O'Connell (The Rapture). Yet despite the cool credentials of those involved, the icy electro pop of The Hypocrite is let down by a soulless vocal that's no doubt meant to come across as mysteriously detached, though it flounders to achieve it. The other A-Side here, Never Good Enough, is a minimal ballad on which TG's slightly more affecting vocals are backed with slight xylophone, piano and keyboard arrangements. It's all a bit more interesting than The Hypocrite but overall a fairly underwhelming crack. [Graeme Blaikie]