Album Review: Nicole Millar - Excuse Me

What a phenomenal few years Nicole Millar has had.

Since dominating the airwaves as Peking Duk's starlet for 2014 megahit High there has been no hint of the 'featured artist syndrome', where a guest-appearance song becomes more famous than the guest's own. Millar has confidently stood on her own two trainer-clad feet, releasing two lauded EPs featuring massive hits Tremble and Signals, and clocked up the frequent flyer points with a bunch of tours and sold-out shows around the globe. It's about time the electro-pop princess pumped out a full-length debut, but will it live up to her previous successes?

If there's one thing Excuse Me does well it's that it takes a chisel to the sleek polish of electro-pop and chips into it to reveal a playful-but-dark edge. There's still a lot of boy talk - No Strings, Blindfolded, Real Connection - but they're incredibly relatable tales and ones that are delivered with punchy beats and Millar's trilling warble. Dotted around these indulgent little gems are some real anthems for womankind, including Gimme A Break, which brings the '80s sass, and the sultry Pink Sundae featuring Sydney popster Muki.