Sophie Ellis-Bextor’s Perimenopop is playful, defiant, and dazzling

By guest blogger Kaushik Chakravarthy

Perimenopop – let’s pause on that for a moment and reflect why a pop artist would choose a title so unsexy, so unglamourous, even a little uncomfortable. Precisely because Sophie Ellis-Bextor, at 46, wants to push those very conversations to the front and center – she loves getting older, and she’s not shy about it. Having exclusively interviewed working mothers for the last 5 years on her podcast, “Spinning Plates”, Sophie has rediscovered confidence in herself. It’s a confidence that harks back her 90s teenage self — infamously undaunted and outspoken, partly thanks to youthful rebellion, but also out of necessity – a shield against the way the industry treated female artists. She’s candid about sexism in her autobiography, and recently called out how the music industry was largely run by “middle-aged straight white men.” At an album launch Q&A, she humorously summed it up: “It was always bollocks.”

What she’s here to prove is simple: pop isn’t just a young person’s game. Music transcends age, sex, and all the barriers people try to pin on it. Sophie’s mission is to rebrand age as experience, failures as wisdom, and life as one long, glittery celebration. Ever the optimist — resilient and, by her own admission, “a healthy amount of delusional!” And that spirit pours straight into this album. Perimenopop, her 8th solo album, isn’t some hushed meditation on mortality — it’s glitter, disco balls, and defiant pop bangers that wink at the passage of time rather than mourn it. That was always the plan. Her previous album, “Hana”, wrapped up an introspective trilogy of indie-pop records with moody, melancholic grace, drawing on her 90s indie-rock roots. This time, she’s pinballed in the opposite direction – back on the dancefloor, sequins first.

Sophie introduced the album in October 2024 with its lead single, “Freedom Of The Night”, written with Duck Blackwell (renowned for his work on Kylie Minogue), long-time collaborator Richard “Biff” Stannard, and surprisingly, English singer-songwriter Shura. The song is a masterclass in modern disco-pop, blending electric guitars, shimmering synths, pulsating basslines and a beat that beckons the listeners to the dancefloor. Sophie herself describes the song as a form of recalibration, a musical escape that allows one to give in to desires without hesitation. The accompanying music video continues the narrative from her iconic video for “Murder On The Dancefloor” – which was given a second life after being featured in the memorable closing scene of Emerald Fennell’s 2023 black comedy, “Saltburn”. Remarkably, “Murder On The Dancefloor” charted in the top 5 once again more than 2 decades after its initial release, and this time, it properly introduced Sophie to North America (folks that tune in to Radio Creme Brulee’s 24/7 global online broadcast have been aware of her for almost two decades!), and to a whole younger generation of fans. The resurgence fueled a U.S. tour, high-profile appearances at Glastonbury and the BAFTAs, and a personal record of 110 shows in 2024 — which naturally staggered the release schedule for Perimenopop. The album itself was recorded in 6 weeks.

A cheeky second glimpse from the album arrived as a limited run of 300 vinyl copies for the War Child Charity’s Secret 7” project. Eventually left off the main album, “Devotion” appears as a secret, download-only bonus track (hint: buy the poster). Co-written with her gal-pal Hannah Robinson and produced by the team behind her COVID-era smash “Crying At The Discotheque”, the song confirmed that Perimenopop was going to be disco-tinged, sugar-rushed, and knowingly camp. Sophie’s husband Richard has hinted on social media that there’s much more to come, and Sophie herself has confirmed that a deluxe edition is in the works. One of the extras, “Drumroll” — produced by Kylie collaborator Steve Anderson and co-written with Robinson — is a duet with Neil Tennant of Pet Shop Boys. A lovely twist of serendipity: Pet Shop Boys had submitted a song for Sophie’s second album “Shoot From The Hip”, but she’d already finished recording. Years later, Sophie was the special guest and support act on the Boys’ Pandemonium tour.

“Relentless Love” rolled in March 2025, drawing on the sleek shimmer of Pet Shop Boys and the funky grooves of Chic. Its groovy bassline played by none other than Guy Pratt – yes, the very same Guy who gave “Murder On The Dancefloor” its swagger more than two decades ago – goes straight for the hips, daring even those with two left feet to stay still. Sophie’s always been loyal to her collaborators, and reconnecting with Guy (after a recent podcast appearance together) feels like a full-circle moment. The song is produced by Karma Kid and Baz Kaye, and co-written with Jin-Jin (known for her work with Jess Glynne and Raye). It channels Sophie’s love for roller coasters and fun fairs, comparing the feeling of falling in love to the thrill of a ride: unpredictable and exhilarating. The deliberately wordy verses mimic the restlessness of the heart while being on a ride, tumbling and twisting just like the rollercoaster at the heart of the song’s metaphor. As the album’s opening track, it’s not just a statement – it launches the listener straight into the disco-verse, sequins flying!

“Vertigo” burst in spinning in April 2025 with its ABBA-ready chorus. The concept of disorientation is woven into the very fabric of the song, playing with misplaced words, and rising and falling melodies. The spark came from a conversation with Sophie’s neighbor about their gardener suffering from vertigo — much like when she spun Ed Harcourt’s synaesthesia into a love song on “Hearing In Colour”. Co-written with Hannah Robinson and produced by James Greenwood, the track gets a dramatic uplift by David Arnold’s Bond-worthy string arrangements – with 9 violinists and 3 violists who layer drama and tension to this dizzying and slightly off-kilter number. It is one of the quirkiest moments on the record and perfectly bottling that sensation of being giddy in love.

In May 2025, “Taste” arrived as part of the album’s amuse-bouche, exploring the chemistry that lingers after the first sparks of love. As Sophie puts it, “what can really make you want to be around someone is when their taste — what they like in life — is something you become addicted to.” Co-written with singer-songwriter MNEK and produced by Jon Shave, the track embraces kitschy retro sounds reminiscent of Lipps Inc.’s 1980s hit “Funkytown”, a motif that resurfaces elsewhere on the record. The accompanying visualizer leans fully into Sophie’s playful eccentricity: watching her devour a popsicle paired with a gherkin, gulping a full glass of milk, and belting out that infectious sugary chorus is simultaneously mortifying and utterly captivating — the kind of whimsical spectacle only Sophie Ellis-Bextor can pull off.

The next preview leans into the story-telling aspects from the trilogy. “Dolce Vita” stitches the subplot of “someone with a criminal past longing to flee and start again somewhere new”, as Sophie describes it, mixed with the “nostalgic pull of a foreign trip”. This was co-written with Clementine Douglas (who recently collaborated with Calvin Harris), produced by the same team behind the album’s opener, and boasts of string arrangements by David Arnold. Both tracks mix retro funk with modern sheen, delivering a vibrant, carefree vibes.

The final reveal before the album dropped was a Kid Harpoon production, which had probably been floating around for a while before Sophie’s team snapped it up. Released a day before the album, “Stay On Me” features a host of writers including Selena Gomez and her frequent collaborator, Julia Michaels. It came to Sophie as a fully formed song called “Eyes On Me” and was bit too flirty when it was meant for Selena. As a 46-year old, married to her husband of more than 20 years, Sophie changed the lyrics to a celebration of long-term relationship – “being with your person and knowing they only have eyes for you.” Stylistically, it’s a bit of a curveball compared to the rest of the album, carrying a breezy 60s nonchalance. The accompanying music video seemingly finds her playing the role of a struggling actress from a small town, rehearsing lines and practicing her bit, all while being a bartender.

The singles may have strutted down the runway, but it’s the deep cuts that keep the afterparty buzzing. Showstopper “Glamorous” is runway-ready and heady, exploring the silky yet dangerous allure of something you know is bad — the “devil you think is heaven sent.” Beneath the glitz, Sophie was really thinking about the music industry itself, which, as she says, “beckons you with treats and spoils.” Co-written with Norwegian singer-songwriter Sigrid and produced by Easyfun (notable for his work with Charli XCX), the track layers cold synths over the ice-queen we know and love — you’d be forgiven for thinking it was an outtake from her debut album “Read My Lips”. It even carries a whiff of a Sophie Ellis-Bextor version of a Saint Etienne song.

Elsewhere on the record is another collaboration with the same team – this time a moody mid-tempo that calls back to Sophie’s second album, featuring even colder synths than the other song, only warmed by David Arnold’s lush string arrangements. Strip away the electronics, and “Heart Sing” could easily be the spiritual successor to “Here Comes The Rapture” from Sophie’s sixth album “Familia”. All these connections feel intentional – Sophie treats her catalogue less like compartments and more like overlapping circles, each album feeding gently into another.

The album’s crown jewels come in pairs: two shimmering mid-tempos and two irresistible floor-fillers. “Layers”, written by Sophie and produced by James Greenwood, is the most experimental track here. It kicks off with a cheeky nod to that Lipps Inc. smash before blossoming into a delightfully playful yet deeply heartfelt number. Cleverly produced, it blends 80s-inspired synths with 90s-style keys, yet feels entirely modern — not unlike the soundscape of Sophie’s fourth album “Make A Scene”. The chorus drifts ethereally, while the verses skip along sprightly, and the contrasting styles work perfectly because everything is meticulously layered. At its heart, the song is a love letter: Sophie reflects on the many layers of her life and the various relationships she’s nurtured over nearly three decades — the collaborators, friends, and moments of triumph that have built the foundation of Sophie Ellis-Bextor.

While Sophie celebrates her enduring connections, she’s also forging new ones. “Diamond In The Dark” is a sparkling highlight, bringing together her long-term collaborator, Ed Harcourt, with new acquaintance Nile Rodgers, who she met for the first time on a TV show and later supported on tour. The track explores finding something true after a series of trials – the metaphorical light at the end of the tunnel. David Arnold’s sweeping string arrangements dance alongside Rodgers’ signature guitar, fashioning a song that is truly a dramatic disco experience. The song threads together Sophie’s back catalogue: the robotic hook nods to “New York City Lights” (a song from her third album, “Trip The Light Fantastic”), while the dramatic strings evoke her orchestral greatest hits. With disco ever-present throughout her discography, this track feels like the perfect sparkly bow tying it all together.

Nestled at the centre of the album is a neon-hued mid-tempo that may be one Sophie’s best. Co-written with MNEK and produced by Jon Shave, “Time” would have been right at home on her last album. But here, it plays with even greater resonance. “Time…”, Sophie reflects is such a precious thing, and she had “the least of it with everyone” while being spread so thin. The song is a reaction to the Sophie’s phenomenally busy year when “Murder On The Dancefloor” surged back into the zeitgeist and her calendar exploded. There’s a bittersweet pull at the song’s core – there’s longing for presence with the awareness of how fleeting it all is…but instead of sadness, it lands in something luminous.

The album closes with – “Don’t Know What You’ve Got Until It’s Gone” is the sonic equivalent of a warm hug on a cold night. “It’s all a part of the map, the place I’m finally at, made up of good and of bad” – wistful yet wise, it acknowledges the fleeting nature of life and the lessons Sophie has gathered across a 30-year career. Lines like “everything that matters, layers of the past, just be glad you had it, now it’s gone” show that Sophie is approaching fleeting nature of life from a different angle than she did on her last album, not with sadness or mourning, but with gratitude.

Perimenopop as a whole feels like the start of a new chapter in Sophie’s life, while still weaving together everything she’s done before. The resurgence of “Murder On The Dancefloor” got her thinking about “how we move into different chapters of our lives often without noticing, and how the layers of life contribute to who you are now… and also how much can connect us invisibly but significantly.” She posted this on her social media, clearing why she changed the album’s title to what it is now. Back when the pre-orders were first listed in 2024, the album was still called “The Invisible Line.” That phrase — the invisible line — feels like the perfect poetic metaphor for Sophie’s career. While there have been sharp tuns and reinventions along the way, there are threads that quietly link each era together: disco is peppered throughout her catalogue; the icy synths of her early work echo through some songs here; the orchestral grandeur of her greatest-hits album is reborn in David Arnold’s sweeping arrangements; even her indie trilogy feeding into the reflective core of this album. In the end, Perimenopop – which began as a joke between her and her friend Hannah Robinson — came to mean so much more: older, yes, but still playful, defiant, and dazzling; a celebration of life, love, and everything in between. “I don’t feel like pausing,” Sophie declared in her press release. “I feel like bopping.”

The Singles that should have been released (in order of release sequence): Freedom Of The Night, Devotion, Relentless Love (this has been getting 4-5 plays a day on our 24/7 global online radio broadcast), Vertigo, Diamond In The Dark

 

STAR RATING: 4.5 out of 5 stars

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