Sophie Ellis-Bextor – Freedom of the Night Review

After a storm of new interest from the Murder on the Dancefloor revival, Sophie Ellis-Bextor is, rightly, raking it in while she can. It is a shame it comes to this, as her previous album, HANA, remains a spectacular achievement. But such is the public mood and Freedom of the Night has the Read My Lips songwriter peddle back into what worked before. A return to dance-pop was inevitable. At least it settles well ahead of The Invisible Line which, if this lead single is anything to go by, is chasing “soundtrack of Ant & Dec’s Saturday Night Takeaway” as its source of influence. Bouncy but ineffective instrumental moments, the energies and pulpy fun of a night on the town, made to sound this way because those past successes form the future.  

While not a beat-for-beat rip on her most famous song, it does follow the tone and stock options which were popularised two decades ago. There is even a slick guitar solo towards the end, a way of rounding out the repetitive lyrics which, ironic it may be that they call for freedom of the night, feel quite claustrophobic and insulated. Bextor’s biggest hit playing right after Freedom of the Night just highlights the distance. It is not that Bextor wants to move on from the dance-pop genre but her efforts previously, like HANA or Familia, are far more rewarding. Freedom of the Night lives on as a nostalgia bait. She is well within her right to do it, the splashes of confidence and makeup to open this latest song are smart, sharp writings but they feel ineffective as she chases a sound long passed.  

A song of rising spectacles and instrumental bliss which happens for the sake of it. There is a counter-culture and then a progression towards what was great about the mid-1990s and early 2000s taking precedence. Bank on the goodwill of those who watched Saltburn. Nobody can hold that against Bextor, whose decision to return to those tones of the past is wise in the sense of getting more listeners, but it feels like there is an artistic void here. A lack of some spectacle or new tone to innovate further, as she had with her previous efforts. It is a taxing and indifferent experience. A great shame, too, since Freedom of the Night has all the right high-energy, pop spots to work. But high energy is not the same as moving material, and for Freedom of the Night, there is no desire to kick around or throw your arms.  

Why flail your arms for the sake of a toothless nostalgia update? There is no sense in tiring yourself for this lead single, though The Invisible Line still holds some promise. We are not far off its release at time of writing and, whatever it may be, still holds interest. Freedom of the Night is a sensible single which makes good on returning listeners and their continued fascination with the past, it just does very little for the dedicated fan, the listeners who stuck HANA on and were impressed by the effective and often-seen splendour. Now that has been removed for a shaky return to what wider audiences know Bextor for best. How it pans out is already written, but Freedom of the Night would do better to provide some sense of fresh movement.