On the gritty, underappreciated
Lung Bread for Daddy,
Du Blonde's
Beth Jeans Houghton dove into the messiness of heartache and mental health issues; on
Homecoming, she looks at them from the other side. Just as her previous album's grungy textures heightened its angst, the slick shine she uses here adds layers of resonance.
Homecoming is pop on
Houghton's terms: She puts a candy coating over her anxiety and frustration, and uses the massive, glittery choruses of songs like "Smoking Me Out" as armor. Adding a healthy dose of humor and camp to her troubles is very much on-brand for
Du Blonde, and one of the most appealing things about the album, whether she's quoting Sunset Boulevard's Norma Desmond over the
Pixies-like crunch of "Pull the Plug" or indulging in some witty self-awareness that recalls
Celebrity Skin-era
Hole on "I Can't Help You There," a collaboration with the colorfully named Farting Suffragettes. Though
Houghton invites more people into her creative process than she has in some time, she holds her own with her rock star friends on
Homecoming. She recruits
Ezra Furman for "I'm Glad We Broke Up," a fizzy hybrid of glam rock and girl group pop that celebrates couples that are better as friends, and reveals that the album's heart is in her brain chemistry on "Medicated," a sweetly aching collaboration with
Shirley Manson that sings the praises of meds as part of saving her life. More importantly, there's a growing feeling of inner strength in
Houghton's songwriting that equals the artistic confidence she's always had, whether it's the strutting riffs and stacks of harmonies on "Take One for the Team'' or "Undertaker"'s toughness. Though this may be
Du Blonde's most musically cohesive work yet,
Houghton delivers a few surprising twists toward the end; "Take Me Away" could be a torchy standard if not for its foul-mouthed honesty. While
Homecoming is missing some of the eccentricity and intimacy that made
Lung Bread for Daddy so powerful, its frankness and playfulness proves
Du Blonde can give her music a pop makeover without losing what makes it real. ~ Heather Phares