Yesterday, Kate Nash dropped possibly her most divisive track yet, 'Under-Estimate The Girl'. Written and recorded in 24 hours, the track immediately began to trend worldwide on Twitter. Mainly for all the wrong reasons. But is just one track cause to abandon the Kate Nash-ship? I certainly don't think so. Instead, it raises questions on our narrow-minded, instant reaction to music.
Nash has previous form in terms of offering up debateable material. Indeed, her career very much began in such a manner, with 'Caroline's A Victim', the ludicrously abysmal debut single released in 2006 on Moshi Moshi. As I said back in the day, "anyone who listened to that is a victim".
Fast forward to February 2010. A couple of years after the popular debut album, 'Made Of Bricks', Nash delivered a rather startling return with 'I Just Love You More'. Gone was the piano-pop that brought her plaudits and success, and instead a new more visceral Kate Nash had emerged. Indeed, if you remember that track then your reaction is perhaps one of deja vu.
Just as 'Under-Estimate The Girl' has more than its fair share of naysayers, a fact amplified by the emergence of Twitter, 'I Just Love You More' was met by a similar reaction. I actually quite liked the latter track, much more so than the latest effort, but the point is that Nash followed it up with an impressively spiky second album. We even placed it in our honourable mentions for albums of 2010.
I suspect Kate Nash was fully aware that she could be once again met with significant resistance, the title screaming out knowingly. Channelling Hole and fully embracing the "riot grrl" essence that was hinted at previously, 'Under-Estimate The Girl' could quite possibly be your worst nightmare. It's not my cup of tea, to put it mildly.
It is somewhat curious that she would put out a track that was put together in a day - perhaps this is indeed a joke (the bindi is a bit try-hard), or perhaps she simply wanted to provide herself a creative outlet. I actually have more cynical feelings, and believe this might have been something of a publicity stunt. One that has worked well in terms of re-raising her profile.
Regardless of motive, the reception of 'Under-Estimate The Girl' has highlighted our listening flaws. Music blogger and fan alike share a common human trait - we can all get a bit carried away. Generally for a blogger, this will be in an overly charitable manner but the popular reaction in this case has been quite the opposite. Yet we've been here and done that with 'I Just Love You More', which was far from welcomed with open arms.
This isn't the making or breaking of Nash's career. Let's not be ridiculous. It might be tough in this impatience-afflicted world but we need to take a step back before we make our overly grandiose judgements. Maybe some of the critics will even come on board by the time the first track from Nash's new album arrives. Or maybe they won't. Listen to 'Under-Estimate The Girl' below, or watch the video above. If you dare.
Find more info at myignorantyouth.com. Feel free to share your thoughts on the new single below, and download it at Soundcloud.
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