The Saturdays - Headlines

Do you know what I love about The Saturdays? They’re fun. Anyone who’s seen their recent ITV2 documentary series will understand the sheer sense of enthusiasm and happiness that seems to infuse everything Rochelle, Mollie, Frankie, Una and Vanessa do. And that includes their music. So, when the time came for the girls to release their third album, you’d be inclined to expect a glossy collection of life affirming, joyous pop anthems. And with Headlines, that is exactly what you get.

Where the album succeeds is that it is in fact a kind of greatest hits/new studio album blend. Previous hits like the rocky Forever Is Over and hands in the air glory of Ego meet with a smattering of new tracks to ensure a snappy finished product – what Headlines lacks in length, it more than makes up for in quality. Consistency is a rare thing for an album to pull off, but here The Saturdays have achieved it, and in many ways the album’s shortness ensures your attention right from end to start.

Lead single Missing You is insanely good, Frankie’s trippy autotuned intro leading into a track that is as much dancefloor stormer as it is a heart-aching story of love. If it’s epic you want, then Died In Your Eyes has it in bucketloads. A ballad of colossal proportions; the chorus is deliriously uplifting, the girls’ vocals shining over soaring piano chords before the song erupts into a full-on singalong chant that is simply made for stadiums.

A tweaked version of One Shot, a standout track from their previous album rounds off the album and if there’s any song to sum up The Saturdays in three and a half minutes of pop perfection, it’s this one. In a world of music that is increasingly fickle and ever-changing, The Saturdays have more than made their mark, putting down their stamp with yet another album chock full of brilliant pop tracks and immense choruses. These girls are definitely here to stay.

Out now