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[Nina West]

Here's my track by track review of Girls Aloud's debut album Sound of the Underground. (I've only done the original 15 tracks & not the bonus re-release tracks).


01. Sound of the Underground - 10/10
The album kicks off with an almighty bang with the debut single that would not only perfectly set the tone for what’s to come but would put the girls firmly on the map with something cool, edgy and innovative. From its opening surf guitar hooks, pulsating beats and well-crafted hooks that builds that perfect amount of intensity that explodes during the chorus. The song is simply excellent and set a new example of what a winner’s single could be. To date no other reality show winning single has ever sound this good.

02. No Good Advice - 10/10
The 2nd single comes next and feels like a natural successor to their debut single and does more than enough to validate itself as a worthy follow-up with a brassy and more in your face attitude with its grinding electric guitar riffs, simple catchy beats that builds nicely towards that mammoth chorus. This is an awesome track that ranks amongst the girls very best.

03. Some Kind of Miracle - 8/10
The album takes a slightly slower pace with this breezy little pop number with jangly guitar riffs set against psychedelic beats and plodding basslines. The girls show some really good vocals on here as they glide between feisty and breathy with ease. Not as dynamic as the first 2 tracks but this is a nice solid little pop number and the fact that it kept getting passed over for a single release showed that it just simply wasn’t meant to be. I am of course referring to the original album version and not single mix on the re-release.

04. All I Need (All I Don’t) - 7/10
One of the more experimental sounding tracks on here with its squelchy techno sounds laden with grinding synths with some disco/funk thrown into the mix. This allows the girls to show off some cool sultry vocal harmonies. A decent track but lacks the energy of the previous songs.

05. Life Got Cold - 9/10
The album’s first ballad and got later got chosen as the girl’s 3rd single. This is a beautiful and mellow pop ballad that showed a different and more heartfelt side to the girls and made for a brilliant single choice. The Spanish styled guitars gives the production a wonderful warm and rich sound and the vocals deliveries are also top notch and really shows how diverse they can be.

06. Mars Attacks - 6/10
A fun and quirky little pop song with a catchy chorus with some interesting production moments such as the oddly structured verses and the frantic energy. But the song does feel like too much of a retread of their debut single ‘Sound of the Underground’ only nowhere near as good.

07. Stop - 6/10
Another catchy little number with some nice guitars and bass sounds that ushers in the vocals before the rock/punk beats drops. This is an okay track but doesn’t really stand out.

08. Girls Allowed - 8/10
I bet they thought they were clever with this title, but it’s a wonderfully catchy little pop song with some great vocal harmonies in the chorus and some cool bass synths. A solid album track.

09. Forever and a Night - 5/10
A slushy typical girl-group ballad which opens with acoustic guitars before the shuffling beats and bleeping synths comes in along with the big vocal harmonies during the chorus. This perhaps feels a little too generic and boring to really stand out.

10. Love/Hate - 8/10
Picking things up with a funky up-beat tempo along with some fun garage beats and quickfire vocals that’s surrounded by guitars and synth pads. The chorus is light and fun with some interesting production moments. A solid effort.

11. Boogie Down Love - 7/10
This is another fun and up-beat little number loaded with roaring guitars, chime bars and fun vocal effects. I like the chaotic energy of this track and plus its catchy as hell.

12. Don’t Want You Back - 6/10
This is yet another nice catchy track with some guitars and vocal harmonies, but this feels way too generic and faceless, as if it could have been sung by anyone.

13. White Lies - 7/10
This is a solid album closer (to the standard edition) with nice guitar riffs, simple beats and a soaring melody where the girls get to inject their personality into the chorus.

14. Love Bomb - 6/10
A fun little bop written by Betty Boo and it shows as it bears similarities to her songs. The fast paced vocals are fun, the song’s quite catchy and the production has some fun moments, but yeah this is b-side material at best.

15. Everything You Wanted - 4/10
Again another track that wasn’t needed here and can see why this was left off the re-release. The song itself is very forgettable and doesn’t really go anywhere interesting. This has demo written all over it.

This post has been edited by Nina West: 13th July 2023, 01:17 PM