Kayla Diamond

Dirty Laundry EP

Pheromone Recordings

In a subversion of the usual success story, Toronto electro-pop singer Kayla Diamond walked away from a law degree when she won a songwriting competition and gained the attention of various record labels. Thank goodness she did, because Dirty Laundry is some of the most refreshing pop music to be released this year.

Diamond fits right in to the wave of nostalgia for the shimmering synths and funk influence of early 2000s-era pop currently making a resurgence, a sound she accentuates with confident lyrics mostly aimed at proving she’s the one winning the breakup. She even declares, on “Look At Me Now,” that her former flame’s mistakes are contributing directly to her cash flow.

The project stands at a brief six tracks, but that’s enough to capture the listener’s attention. This is high-octane, dance floor-ready pop music, and it’s all the more fun when she throws in retro elements like vocoders and modern electronic production, the rhythms verging on future-bass at times.

Diamond has named Robyn as a major influence to her sound, and it’s easy to see why – the best pop songs always capture that feeling of dancing the pain away, and combining the anger in her voice with huge, memorable hooks does just that.

Best Track: Next X

Ben Boddez

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