Little Boots

Little Boots has been regenerating. Since the curtain-call on the campaign for her Gold-selling debut album 'Hands' just over two years ago, Victoria Hesketh has gradually been returning her project to its original vision of true dance-pop excellence. From Ibiza to Osaka, she's been relentlessly DJing all over the world at many of clubland's most esteemed nights, while releasing a slew of limited edition collaborations that read like an elite roll-call of dance music's most credible class. No surprise then that the title of her highly-anticipated second album sign-posts this new era. "It's called 'Nocturnes' because it's an album indebted to the night," she explains. "I wanted to make an album referencing the most exciting moments in dance music history, but also a real pop labour of love. Hopefully I've managed both."

Three key legendary night owls left their mark on the album. After several years of writing across the globe, Tim Goldsworthy, the DFA Records co-founder and production guru for the likes LCD Soundsystem and Cut Copy, was the man who helped bind Victoria's vision together. She decamped to his Bristol studio hideaway for three months at the end of 2012, with Goldsworthy producing across all the compositions she'd amassed to give the LP its compelling, cohesive feel. But notable shouts also go to both Hercules and Love Affair's Andy Butler and Simian Mobile Disco's James Ford, both of whom played an integral role in the birth of 'Nocturnes', with their various collaborations proving game-changing components of its life-force. “It reflects a year when I’d be travelling home from a DJ gig at a Berlin techno venue, listening to Abba's 'The Visitors' on my iPod," she recalls. "Much of the 'dance music' we've been bombarded with of late leaves me cold, and recently it feels like Proper Songs have somehow gone out of fashion. So a big part of what I wanted to do on this record is show that you can produce dance-pop that's both interesting and artistic, but maintains the magic of classic pop songwriting.”

Little Boots arrived a fully-formed popstar in 2009, winning that year’s BBC Sound Of Poll, landing a Brit Award nomination and mounting an assault on the charts, with the Top-5 success of 'Hands', and a string of hit singles to boot. A dizzying couple of years of magazine covers and A-list TV appearances followed, as she swiftly became one of the most intriguing and talked-about new popstars around. Taking a break from touring in 2010 following a triumphant set at the Coachella festival, she began work on the next record immediately. For a whole summer Victoria spent her days writing and recording in the attic and her nights out behind the decks. Eventually she had a little book of ideas that she was ready to take to the wider world. “It feels like this album was written everywhere, New York, LA, Stockholm, Paris, erm, Wales… I spent two years making pilgrimages to the most amazing places and writing with some of the best in the game, and now all those sights, sounds and stories have poured into making the record what it is. There were ups and there were downs, it's all in there and I wouldn't change a second of it." She recounts the hedonistic thrills of one particular trip to New York, where she first met and wrote with Andy Butler. They channelled house music deities in more than one way, going out every night and getting “really rather messy”, then writing morning after the night before. The sounds they created are testament to their pair's special bond and chemistry. 'All For You' is classic LB, all throbbing, swaggering beats and arctic, chanting refrains. 'Every Night I Say A Prayer', released for Record Store Day 2012 via specially relaunched legendary Chicago house label Trax, is a jubilant jackin' anthem that fuses legit house and purest pop in a way that's not be seen for some time.

By mid 2011 she'd written more than one album's worth of songs. So what took her so long? First, a frustrated relationship with her parent record label ended after her 679 imprint began to shut up shop. “I was so naive when I signed my deal. After years of being told what shade of blonde to dye my hair I’d had enough. The thought of continuing with a major label who wanted me to sound like LMFAO so they could stock my album next to chewing gum at Tesco's tills was just not an option. I was done compromising." The only way she was going to be able to make the album she wanted was to escape from that environment altogether. So following in the footsteps of strong-minded sirens like Robyn, she set about a bold new venture, establishing her own new label, On Repeat, with buzz new label services, Kobalt. The songs were all there, but this time Victoria was obsessed with the idea of making an album in the truest sense, a long-player that worked as a whole. Having had a long-running dialogue with producer Tim Goldsworthy, she selected him as best suited to help her start from scratch. “His knowledge of music is just staggering. He plucks the most inspiring, encyclopaedic references out of thin air, but also can spot the song in even the roughest of demos. We worked like synth scientists, piecing sounds and textures together like we were in a laboratory.” The finished record is astonishing. A celebration of 90s house, seventies disco and futuristic electronics with a view to big-concept contemporary pop. There's a new-found confidence that hangs from its every note. While each of its ten tracks feels truly stand-out, overall it is the Real Album Victoria's been waiting her whole life to release. The opening song ‘Motorway’ is a symphony of bittersweet brilliance, starting with Victoria singing over a single percussive blip that quickly evolves into a cacophony of noir narratives, chilly melodies and thundering late-night congas. 'Confusion', penned in the Hollywood hills with Jeppe Laursen (the man behind Gaga's 'Born This Way'), steals 808 drum thwacks from the bottom of Frankie Knuckles' record bag and takes you on a heady blow-out of hands-aloft choruses. 'Broken Record' will no doubt be greeted with open arms from the Little Boots faithful; the pounding techno beats and unruly synthesised discordance create a vivid backdrop on which Victoria bestows some of the most hypnotic hooks of her career. ‘Strangers’, clocking in at almost seven minutes, is a song that could have only been made for this record; chronicling the tumultuous troughs of a special romance via a disco odyssey of the most cosmic proportions. It is an album where subtlety and daring combine with disarming effect. Out in May, 'Nocturnes' will show people a more grown-up Victoria who is ready to push pop to its outer limits. “I've always wanted to make this album. It's entirely representative of who I am. The kind of songs I love, with the kind of sounds I love. I’m not trying to be anyone. I am Little Boots."

Little Boots has been regenerating. Since the curtain-call on the campaign for her Gold-selling debut album 'Hands' just over two years ago, Victoria Hesketh has gradually been returning her project to its original vision of true dance-pop excellence. From Ibiza to Osaka, she's been relentlessly DJing all over the world at many of clubland's most esteemed nights, while releasing a slew of limited edition collaborations that read like an elite roll-call of dance music's most credible class. No surprise then that the title of her highly-anticipated second album sign-posts this new era. "It's called 'Nocturnes' because it's an album indebted to the night," she explains. "I wanted to make an album referencing the most exciting moments in dance music history, but also a real pop labour of love. Hopefully I've managed both."

Three key legendary night owls left their mark on the album. After several years of writing across the globe, Tim Goldsworthy, the DFA Records co-founder and production guru for the likes LCD Soundsystem and Cut Copy, was the man who helped bind Victoria's vision together. She decamped to his Bristol studio hideaway for three months at the end of 2012, with Goldsworthy producing across all the compositions she'd amassed to give the LP its compelling, cohesive feel. But notable shouts also go to both Hercules and Love Affair's Andy Butler and Simian Mobile Disco's James Ford, both of whom played an integral role in the birth of 'Nocturnes', with their various collaborations proving game-changing components of its life-force. “It reflects a year when I’d be travelling home from a DJ gig at a Berlin techno venue, listening to Abba's 'The Visitors' on my iPod," she recalls. "Much of the 'dance music' we've been bombarded with of late leaves me cold, and recently it feels like Proper Songs have somehow gone out of fashion. So a big part of what I wanted to do on this record is show that you can produce dance-pop that's both interesting and artistic, but maintains the magic of classic pop songwriting.”

Little Boots arrived a fully-formed popstar in 2009, winning that year’s BBC Sound Of Poll, landing a Brit Award nomination and mounting an assault on the charts, with the Top-5 success of 'Hands', and a string of hit singles to boot. A dizzying couple of years of magazine covers and A-list TV appearances followed, as she swiftly became one of the most intriguing and talked-about new popstars around. Taking a break from touring in 2010 following a triumphant set at the Coachella festival, she began work on the next record immediately. For a whole summer Victoria spent her days writing and recording in the attic and her nights out behind the decks. Eventually she had a little book of ideas that she was ready to take to the wider world. “It feels like this album was written everywhere, New York, LA, Stockholm, Paris, erm, Wales… I spent two years making pilgrimages to the most amazing places and writing with some of the best in the game, and now all those sights, sounds and stories have poured into making the record what it is. There were ups and there were downs, it's all in there and I wouldn't change a second of it." She recounts the hedonistic thrills of one particular trip to New York, where she first met and wrote with Andy Butler. They channelled house music deities in more than one way, going out every night and getting “really rather messy”, then writing morning after the night before. The sounds they created are testament to their pair's special bond and chemistry. 'All For You' is classic LB, all throbbing, swaggering beats and arctic, chanting refrains. 'Every Night I Say A Prayer', released for Record Store Day 2012 via specially relaunched legendary Chicago house label Trax, is a jubilant jackin' anthem that fuses legit house and purest pop in a way that's not be seen for some time.

By mid 2011 she'd written more than one album's worth of songs. So what took her so long? First, a frustrated relationship with her parent record label ended after her 679 imprint began to shut up shop. “I was so naive when I signed my deal. After years of being told what shade of blonde to dye my hair I’d had enough. The thought of continuing with a major label who wanted me to sound like LMFAO so they could stock my album next to chewing gum at Tesco's tills was just not an option. I was done compromising." The only way she was going to be able to make the album she wanted was to escape from that environment altogether. So following in the footsteps of strong-minded sirens like Robyn, she set about a bold new venture, establishing her own new label, On Repeat, with buzz new label services, Kobalt. The songs were all there, but this time Victoria was obsessed with the idea of making an album in the truest sense, a long-player that worked as a whole. Having had a long-running dialogue with producer Tim Goldsworthy, she selected him as best suited to help her start from scratch. “His knowledge of music is just staggering. He plucks the most inspiring, encyclopaedic references out of thin air, but also can spot the song in even the roughest of demos. We worked like synth scientists, piecing sounds and textures together like we were in a laboratory.” The finished record is astonishing. A celebration of 90s house, seventies disco and futuristic electronics with a view to big-concept contemporary pop. There's a new-found confidence that hangs from its every note. While each of its ten tracks feels truly stand-out, overall it is the Real Album Victoria's been waiting her whole life to release. The opening song ‘Motorway’ is a symphony of bittersweet brilliance, starting with Victoria singing over a single percussive blip that quickly evolves into a cacophony of noir narratives, chilly melodies and thundering late-night congas. 'Confusion', penned in the Hollywood hills with Jeppe Laursen (the man behind Gaga's 'Born This Way'), steals 808 drum thwacks from the bottom of Frankie Knuckles' record bag and takes you on a heady blow-out of hands-aloft choruses. 'Broken Record' will no doubt be greeted with open arms from the Little Boots faithful; the pounding techno beats and unruly synthesised discordance create a vivid backdrop on which Victoria bestows some of the most hypnotic hooks of her career. ‘Strangers’, clocking in at almost seven minutes, is a song that could have only been made for this record; chronicling the tumultuous troughs of a special romance via a disco odyssey of the most cosmic proportions. It is an album where subtlety and daring combine with disarming effect. Out in May, 'Nocturnes' will show people a more grown-up Victoria who is ready to push pop to its outer limits. “I've always wanted to make this album. It's entirely representative of who I am. The kind of songs I love, with the kind of sounds I love. I’m not trying to be anyone. I am Little Boots."

Little Boots has been regenerating. Since the curtain-call on the campaign for her Gold-selling debut album 'Hands' just over two years ago, Victoria Hesketh has gradually been returning her project to its original vision of true dance-pop excellence. From Ibiza to Osaka, she's been relentlessly DJing all over the world at many of clubland's most esteemed nights, while releasing a slew of limited edition collaborations that read like an elite roll-call of dance music's most credible class. No surprise then that the title of her highly-anticipated second album sign-posts this new era. "It's called 'Nocturnes' because it's an album indebted to the night," she explains. "I wanted to make an album referencing the most exciting moments in dance music history, but also a real pop labour of love. Hopefully I've managed both."

Three key legendary night owls left their mark on the album. After several years of writing across the globe, Tim Goldsworthy, the DFA Records co-founder and production guru for the likes LCD Soundsystem and Cut Copy, was the man who helped bind Victoria's vision together. She decamped to his Bristol studio hideaway for three months at the end of 2012, with Goldsworthy producing across all the compositions she'd amassed to give the LP its compelling, cohesive feel. But notable shouts also go to both Hercules and Love Affair's Andy Butler and Simian Mobile Disco's James Ford, both of whom played an integral role in the birth of 'Nocturnes', with their various collaborations proving game-changing components of its life-force. “It reflects a year when I’d be travelling home from a DJ gig at a Berlin techno venue, listening to Abba's 'The Visitors' on my iPod," she recalls. "Much of the 'dance music' we've been bombarded with of late leaves me cold, and recently it feels like Proper Songs have somehow gone out of fashion. So a big part of what I wanted to do on this record is show that you can produce dance-pop that's both interesting and artistic, but maintains the magic of classic pop songwriting.”

Little Boots arrived a fully-formed popstar in 2009, winning that year’s BBC Sound Of Poll, landing a Brit Award nomination and mounting an assault on the charts, with the Top-5 success of 'Hands', and a string of hit singles to boot. A dizzying couple of years of magazine covers and A-list TV appearances followed, as she swiftly became one of the most intriguing and talked-about new popstars around. Taking a break from touring in 2010 following a triumphant set at the Coachella festival, she began work on the next record immediately. For a whole summer Victoria spent her days writing and recording in the attic and her nights out behind the decks. Eventually she had a little book of ideas that she was ready to take to the wider world. “It feels like this album was written everywhere, New York, LA, Stockholm, Paris, erm, Wales… I spent two years making pilgrimages to the most amazing places and writing with some of the best in the game, and now all those sights, sounds and stories have poured into making the record what it is. There were ups and there were downs, it's all in there and I wouldn't change a second of it." She recounts the hedonistic thrills of one particular trip to New York, where she first met and wrote with Andy Butler. They channelled house music deities in more than one way, going out every night and getting “really rather messy”, then writing morning after the night before. The sounds they created are testament to their pair's special bond and chemistry. 'All For You' is classic LB, all throbbing, swaggering beats and arctic, chanting refrains. 'Every Night I Say A Prayer', released for Record Store Day 2012 via specially relaunched legendary Chicago house label Trax, is a jubilant jackin' anthem that fuses legit house and purest pop in a way that's not be seen for some time.

By mid 2011 she'd written more than one album's worth of songs. So what took her so long? First, a frustrated relationship with her parent record label ended after her 679 imprint began to shut up shop. “I was so naive when I signed my deal. After years of being told what shade of blonde to dye my hair I’d had enough. The thought of continuing with a major label who wanted me to sound like LMFAO so they could stock my album next to chewing gum at Tesco's tills was just not an option. I was done compromising." The only way she was going to be able to make the album she wanted was to escape from that environment altogether. So following in the footsteps of strong-minded sirens like Robyn, she set about a bold new venture, establishing her own new label, On Repeat, with buzz new label services, Kobalt. The songs were all there, but this time Victoria was obsessed with the idea of making an album in the truest sense, a long-player that worked as a whole. Having had a long-running dialogue with producer Tim Goldsworthy, she selected him as best suited to help her start from scratch. “His knowledge of music is just staggering. He plucks the most inspiring, encyclopaedic references out of thin air, but also can spot the song in even the roughest of demos. We worked like synth scientists, piecing sounds and textures together like we were in a laboratory.” The finished record is astonishing. A celebration of 90s house, seventies disco and futuristic electronics with a view to big-concept contemporary pop. There's a new-found confidence that hangs from its every note. While each of its ten tracks feels truly stand-out, overall it is the Real Album Victoria's been waiting her whole life to release. The opening song ‘Motorway’ is a symphony of bittersweet brilliance, starting with Victoria singing over a single percussive blip that quickly evolves into a cacophony of noir narratives, chilly melodies and thundering late-night congas. 'Confusion', penned in the Hollywood hills with Jeppe Laursen (the man behind Gaga's 'Born This Way'), steals 808 drum thwacks from the bottom of Frankie Knuckles' record bag and takes you on a heady blow-out of hands-aloft choruses. 'Broken Record' will no doubt be greeted with open arms from the Little Boots faithful; the pounding techno beats and unruly synthesised discordance create a vivid backdrop on which Victoria bestows some of the most hypnotic hooks of her career. ‘Strangers’, clocking in at almost seven minutes, is a song that could have only been made for this record; chronicling the tumultuous troughs of a special romance via a disco odyssey of the most cosmic proportions. It is an album where subtlety and daring combine with disarming effect. Out in May, 'Nocturnes' will show people a more grown-up Victoria who is ready to push pop to its outer limits. “I've always wanted to make this album. It's entirely representative of who I am. The kind of songs I love, with the kind of sounds I love. I’m not trying to be anyone. I am Little Boots."