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Mar 27, 2014 MØ By Laura Studarus

MØ (born Karen Marie Ørsted) made her first entrance into the music scene as a shock rapper. But the 25-year-old Danish singer’s debut full-length is a completely different beast. The album may be a pop outing at its core, but its roots lay in electroclash, Motown, Balearic dance, and hip-hop. Perhaps shockingly, given that laundry list of genres, No Mythologies to Follow is a fairly cohesive outing. Ultimately the stuffed-to-the-gills mash-up succeeds on the strength of MØ‘s personality—a force so magnetic that screaming “Girl power!” doesn’t seem entirely out of the question. (There’s a reason that she was able to pull of a credible Spice Girls cover.)

MØ covers much of the same thematic territory as likeminded Scandinavian artists Tove Lo and Icona Pop (namely: love kinda sucks, and going out for the night helps). But even when wallowing in the romantic deep end, she never loses touch with her salacious swagger. “Never Wanna Know” (a song that will launch a thousand Lana Del Rey comparisons) soars on the wings of MØ‘s melancholy vocals, looped into her own girl group-style backing choir. The same technique is used on standout track “Walk This Way,” where the dance beat is built from her Double Dutch-reminiscent opening chant. But nowhere is MØ‘s sway more evident than opening track “Don’t Wanna Dance.” Against backing synths and a horn section straight out of Detroit, she offers a smackdown—she don’t “wanna dance with nobody.” But the subtext is clear. Sure she’s down to dance, but just not with you. Youthful determination never sounded so sweet. (www.facebook.com/MOMOMOYOUTH)

Author rating: 8/10