Hartlepool singer-songwriter, AbeliA’s latest EP is as close as you can get to being taken by the hand and transported into the heart of a teen pop movie. Heavily centred on themes of adolescent concerns, teenage rebellion and the maturation process, AbeliA’s work is interesting in the way that the songs are not dumb, or kitsch, but meaningfully tell the story of growing up in claustrophobic, regimented, towns (reminiscent of Beaumont, the central location of the ‘Footloose’ movie) and the desire to rebel against dogmatic, autocratic, rules.

Though tracks are not as synth heavy, pop-tastic, as say ‘Let’s hear it for the boys’ or ‘Holding out for a hero’ they do have a similar tone of questioning and the search for teenage kicks, whilst using simple eloquent pop structures and melodies.

Opener ‘Make my heart go boom’ ‘s use of a piano to create a sprightly, upbeat tune with a popping chorus, reminiscent of an, early period, Scissor Sisters demo or an upbeat, 70s era  Elton John pop jam. Courageous in the way it takes one instrument and a vocal and produces structured, complex, arrangements, it’s the sound of pure artistry potential.

Two versions of ‘Get up’ are contained on the ep, the best of which (the full band version) is the EPs stand out track with its strong vocal, Fleetwood Mac rumours sound, pulling melody and hypnotic Rhythm.

The remaining two tracks, ‘Born to be a fighter’ and ‘Rock n roll town’ use an Americana sound, with strong guitar riffs, to continue the central theme of the EP; pop music set against generation gap rebellion.  Great stuff.