Sophie Ellis-Bextor – Relentless Love Review

What Sophie Ellis-Bextor lacked on The Invisible Line lead single, Freedom of the Night, was the contemporary swagger, the cooler grooves. She finds it again on Relentless Love. A brief but bright reset on the intensely forgettable lead single leads to the upbeat momentum, the whispered suggestiveness and instrumental charm of Relentless Love. This is Ellis-Bextor shifting gear, making good on the pop tones longtime listeners will know she is capable of ripping apart and evolving. She does just that on her second single, with The Invisible Line set to release at some point in the future. In the meantime, we have Relentless Love, one of the strongest pieces Ellis-Bextor has put out in some time. Love as a theme park ride, the highs and lows, the adrenaline shots which come from the thrills of intimate connection, that is what is found on Relentless Love.  

Those groovy guitar works, which became a staple sound for Ellis-Bextor on Murder on the Dancefloor, appear here. It is not what makes Relentless Love so entertaining, though. There is little link to the past, and Ellis-Bextor proves herself to be a forward-thinking artist, a musician who strives to carry these sounds, popular as they may be, into the future, irrespective of the instrumental or lyrical casualties. There is a desire to “roll with the dive,” as she puts it, and that want is fulfilled well by the well-mixed, groove-laden Relentless Love. A blur of spoken-word styled statements, ever-changing vocal tempo, and a catchy chorus is a neat change for Ellis-Bextor. Light and floaty instrumental work informs the relatively nice and risk-laden stories told here. Space-age noises, funk-adjacent beats and a relatively tame adaptation of mid-2000s pop music are found here, though the lyrical interpretations, the depths of Ellis-Bextor as a writer, are explored well.  

Relentless Love finds itself chasing the fairground thrills a little too often here. A Butlins-adjacent trip through the contemporary feel of what is deemed popular. Does anyone find a Wurlitzer appealing anymore? Pop-up fairs have lost their charm in the modern day, but they prove acceptable, a little bit tinged in nostalgia, for Relentless Love. Soft poptimism would be the easy route through, but Ellis-Bextor implements some hard-hitting lines. Her comparisons to Ferris wheels and rollercoasters may make little sense, but the sum of all our parts commentary, the suggestion of following the heart because it provides an in-the-moment clarity, is a very sweet, pop-friendly message. But Ellis-Bextor is more than that, as proven by the previous album HANA.  

What separates Ellis-Bextor still is the conviction heard in her performance. A still incredible voice with an unrelenting appeal, an ever-present desire to bring out the very best in her listeners. Dance-pop fundamentals are not questioned here; the desire to go higher, the rising occasion of the heart in love and the upwards trajectory of a well-built rollercoaster are the clear comparisons. Relentless Love is a catchy piece from Ellis-Bextor. To expect anything less would be foolish. A great song from her discography, a charming, contemporary hit which, as HANA did two years ago, proves Ellis-Bextor is still at the top of her game when it comes to writing charmed and honest pop songs.