The latest album from Tangerine Cassette, "Sticky Sweet," is full of sugary hooks and lyrical snarl, a prickly, delicious barb meant to get under the skin. The brat-pop duo of Natalie Cleveland and Josh Roach has built a signature lane by merging flippant audacity with glossy production, and this 10-track project is no different.
At less than 26 minutes, "Sticky Sweet" almost plays like the aural equivalent of a quick mainline hit of pure pop adrenaline laced with a day-glow, bratty twist. The title track, “STICKY SWEET,” is an early highlight, a lace-wrapped pop-rap anthem bathed in confidence and wit. Born of an impromptu FaceTime hello and a laughably errant script note (“pregnant pause”), the song winks at its overstatement, even as it takes a beat you want to loop again and again. 2000s-era Fergie drinking Earl Grey with a razor-sharp Qveen Herby twist is posh but playfully petty.
"Told You So" falls into place with the same sultry, attitude-heavy delivery that portrays the fearless attitude. The whole album is nourished by left-field invention. Tangerine Cassette isn’t afraid to split the difference between high-gloss pop and experimenting at the fringes. "Sticky Sweet" is her most self-assured album yet, a collection of anthems for anyone who likes their pop glossy, gutsy, and garnished with a bit of gossip.
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