Monkoora – Nuclear BB

Nuclear BB is a daft and delightfully chaotic clutch of songs that touch upon identity, political responsibility and memory against a multi-coloured tangle of ideas and styles, installing Glasgow-based Monkoora, aka Julie Fern Crawford, as a beacon of omnivorous, unfettered imagination and creativity. 

Crawford makes her introductions on Bocx Wurld, a squiffy stab at catchy pop in what sounds like a chiptune interpretation of Beirut’s Scenic World. Her voice filtered through autotune, Crawford comes across like a frustrated android as she admonishes society for dragging its heels on liberal progressivism. That sci-fi motif carries on into Giant White Hs via a touch of Margaret Atwood, and like all true cyberpunks, Monkoora espouses the virtues of electronic puff on Vaping on Trains, a wispy dreampop number that riffs on M.I.A.’s Paper Planes.

Repelling Radios, meanwhile, features an uncomplicated piano part that’s vaguely moody – you could imagine Adele singing over it, though Monkoora could well have her tongue in her cheek here given the title. Either way, it’s a rare dull moment quickly whisked away by the eerie harmonies on Alaska 14 and another testament to her range.

Indeed, Nuclear BB is the work of a passionate, unpretentious artist who isn’t afraid to stick her neck out. It’s a bit scruffy around the edges but it attests to a promising young talent.

Listen to: Giant White Hs, Alaska 14