Kate Nash My Best Friend Is You

Kate Nash has spent the three years since achieving fame cooking up a record that's a substantial progression from the rickety kitchen-sink pop of her No 1 debut. Not only has the sound been plumped up with girl-group strings – for which thank producer Bernard Butler – she's been listening to Bikini Kill and Sonic Youth and is consequently far more daring a writer and singer. Laced with reverb and dissonance, I Just Love You More could be a product of New York's no-wave era. Mansion Song starts with an expletive-filled rant aimed at male musicians who exploit female fans and ends with an explosive riot-grrrl chant. The "secret" in I've Got a Secret is never revealed, but the song is an intriguing mess: dreamy psychedelic vocals, fuzzy guitar and electronics. Only I Hate Seagulls, a list of small annoyances ("I hate burning my fingers on the toaster"), recalls the naive Nash of yore. A very pleasant surprise.