Stream La Roux’s ‘Trouble in Paradise’

La Roux could've taken over the world in 2009. For a time, Elly Jackson's synth-pop project was placed in the same category as Lady Gaga in terms of superstar potential, thanks to songs like "Bulletproof" off La Roux's self-titled debut. Later, there was a feature on Watch the Throne track "That's My Bitch," but by then Jackson had become frustrated with synth-pop and receded from the spotlight. After years of silence, she emerged last year with new material and a new collaborator (parting ways with Ben Langmaid and hooking up with Ian Sherwin), and next week she returns with her comeback album, Trouble in Paradise (out July 22). La Roux has already debuted a few tracks from the LP, including "Let Me Down Gently" and "Tropical Chancer," but now you can stream lengthy previews of each song a week ahead of the release. As was indicated on those prior cuts, things aren't quite as jubilant here. It seems any sort of synth-pop is lazily described as having an '80s sound (her debut included), but this time she actually does channel that decade, with shades of Tom Tom Club, Toto, and Men at Work popping up, giving the album a true New Wave feel. But there's still some of that churning dance floor gloss from album one, like "Silent Partner" and "Uptight Downtown." It may not be as instantly captivating as the debut, but it's shaping up to be a hell of a return. Preview the whole thing here.