Celebrating the music of Róisín Murphy

Regular visitors to My Mashed Up Life may have noticed that I’m a big fan of Róisín Murphy.

If you haven’t noticed, where have you been for all this time?

My fandom all started way back in 2007 when she released her second solo album Overpowered.

Overpowered is all squelchy synths, 80’s vibes, seductive vocals, incredible hooks and cool, sophisticated lyrics paired with electropop dancefloor sensibilities. I’ve been a massive Murphy fan ever since, hungrily devouring every song, album and collaboration that she’s released.

Incidentally, Overpowered is being re-released on coloured vinyl as a double LP in May 2021.

There was a big gap between Overpowered and her next LP, Hairless Toys which wasn’t released until 2015. While this album is not as pop as its predecessor it is as solid and cohesive as Overpowered. It just takes more time to reveal its charms. Album highlight: Evil Eyes

During the long gap between those two albums Murphy didn’t stop making music; she released a plethora of collaborations and singles.

In 2014 there was the Mi Senti EP of (mostly) covers of Italian songs. My favourite track is the one original composition, In Sintesi, a perfect example of Italian disco.

Take Her Up To Monto, her fourth LP, came along in 2016, and to be honest I found it to be a little underwhelming. It was neither as warm as Hairless Toys nor as accessible as Overpowered and the tracks left me wanting something more.

However, there were highlights. Here’s the lead single, Ten Miles High, with its striking video.

In 2018 she recorded eight new dance tracks released as four 12″ singles. For me, these tracks were so uplifting and I much prefer them to the Take Her Up To Monto LP. Here’s one of those singles, Jacuzzi Rollercoaster.

Róisín Murphy started out with Moloko, of course, so if nothing else you might know her from Sing It Back.

After Moloko’s demise, Murphy released her first solo record Ruby Blue in 2005. This album is just as experimental as anything Bjork has done, with elements of jazz, electronic music and avant-pop. Album highlight: Ramalama (Bang Bang) which was never released as a single but has since inspired a TikTok challenge!

Her most recent work, though, is her best.

Róisín Machine was released last year and is a masterpiece; the perfect blend of dance, nu-disco and shimmering , thundering electo floor fillers that shows off Murphy’s talent at her creative peak. This is irresistible stuff.