Review: Kate Nash - Under-Estimate the Girl

Followers of Kate Nash on Twitter may have noticed that she's undergone something of a transformation from her cutesy, charming, do-wap pop sound of second album, My Best Friend is You. Tweets of anger and frustration about the ideals of society being forced upon young girls, and the sadness she feels about the low self-esteem of girls she has met on tour all hinted towards a more serious message in her writing for her as-of-yet untitled third album.

Since the release of My Best Friend is You, Kate has been running after-school clubs across the country to teach and inspire young girls, as well as writing for regularly updated personal blog, My Ignorant Youth. In the run-up to her third studio effort, and having spent time recording this month, Kate released teaser-track, Under-Estimate the Girl, as a sampler of what we can expect. Whilst the track will not feature on the album, it's quite a clear example of what direction Kate has chosen to move in.

Taking influence from the Riot Grrrl movement, which originated in the early 90s, Kate has channelled all of her anger and frustration into an all-shouting, all-screaming 5-minute rant. Lyrically, the song is a lot more angsty than that of both her previous efforts, and whilst Kate has always been one to speak frankly in her writing, the song feels particularly like a subconscious outpouring of anger and pent-up aggression.

Kate's new direction is noticeably influenced by bands such as The Runaways and Bikini Kill, and whilst that's likely to appeal to a certain audience, the new material may alienate old fans, who were more interested in her chart-friendly pop efforts. This doesn't seem to concern Kate, who tweeted ahead of the video release, "Not sure if the world is ready but frankly I don't care!" and judging by the mixed reviews of Kate's fans, her upcoming album may be something of an opinion-splitter.