Delilah Bon - 'Evil Hate Filled Female' Album Review

Tracklist:

1. Hey World

2. Maverick

3. Evil, Hate Filled Female

4. The Internet

5. Finally See Me

6. I Am The Best (Just Ask Your Momma)

7. Villain

8. My Girlz

9. Grown Ass Men

10. Freak Alert

11. Epstein

12. Volatile

13. Drop Dead Delilah

14. Committed A Crime

Self-proclaimed Brat Punk artist Delilah Bon is about to release her second album, 'Evil Hate Filled Female', the name of which was taken from a comment about her on a well known social media site. Very much an independent artist with a determination to do things the way she wants Delilah is blazing a trail of creating something that’s all hers, that she is defining and that really only she knows where it’s going!

Combining elements of Nu Metal, Punk, Rap, Hip Hop, Pop and Rock she is determined to prove how versatile she is. She came out of the punk scene where she had her share of hard times because she spoke up about the way women were treated at gigs. Having seen her live a couple of times now she is very much about inclusivity, about making gigs safe spaces for everyone and about doing her best to represent those who may feel undervalued, not heard and disenfranchised.

I loved the first album which I reviewed for this site but always approach second albums with a degree of trepidation, there is always a question over whether artists use all their best songs on their first album, get guilty of complacency, lose themselves trying to replicate what worked first time round and generally don’t live up to the highs of the first album they’ve been building to all of their lives.

So, has that happened here? Empathically not! This is the first album on speed, everything has been dialled up, the music, the lyrics, the performance, the song writing, the attitude, the aggression, the quality of the playing, the hooks and the determination to do it her way.

Interestingly there is a real mix of issue songs and deeper more personal moments. Delilah is getting more sure of herself, more willing to open up and more willing to be vulnerable while at the same time being more willing to say what she thinks and not care what you think of her. I suspect this will win her some fans and cost her some fans that disagree with some of her views but on balance I suspect it will win her more than it loses her.

The uncompromising nature of this album will mean it’s not for everyone, saccharine pop this is not, it's raw, it's full on and its very, very real.

No punches are pulled, the language is full on, the music is not for the faint-hearted, if you’re looking for the next girl band or pop star jog on, this is not for you. If you want something that will challenge you, push your boundaries, make you think and at the same time make you want to jump and throw your arms in the air then you may just have found your new favourite artist.

Highlights? Well, that’s actually hard to call. I think 'Volatile' is my favourite, it’s probably her most personal song on the album. There have already been a number of singles released to tease people in and all have been excellent, getting radio play and growing the number of people who are interested in what happens next so I think you should listen for yourself and decide what your favourite is.

Recently headlining the BBC introducing stage at Reading/Leeds, will have raised Delilah’s profile but this album is going to help her graduate to bigger and better things. Delilah is beginning to become a phenomenon. The music and the attitude will not be for everyone, there will be people who just don’t get it. But if you get it, even if you don’t agree with all of it, you can appreciate and enjoy just how talented she is.

For me the big question is how Delilah develops and grows from here? She has the ability to be massive, she could be international, but can she transition to that? I suspect she can. She could be at the forefront of a new more assertive musical movement, making it clear that she’s here to stay and she’s not going to take what others say, she’s not going to act the way they want her to, she’s going to do it on her terms.

I interviewed Delilah a few years ago when she was just getting going, she knew what she wanted but I still had a sense of her not being 100% sure of herself, not having full belief in herself. I would love to speak to her again as this album is the work of someone who knows who she is, who she wants to be and what she wants to say, it oozes confidence and self-belief with a huge amount of attitude.

What I’d love to see her do is widen her horizons, be more even more personal, be more political and trust in her voice. I think she has a great singing voice, throw some more singing in with the rapping, stretch herself even more, and I genuinely believe the next album, and there should be many more to come, will be a six star album. I’m currently trying to work out how to get to the upcoming tour, it will be worth seeing.