With her latest 80s-inspired album, Bat for Lashes proves that she is well deserving of a reputation as an art pop giant.

Natasha Khan, aka Bat for Lashes, has often been regarded as a talented storyteller, with her previous albums each featuring fleshed out concepts, eccentric alter egos, and vibrant tales. Since falling in love with the heartbreaking single ‘Laura’ from her 2012 album, The Haunted Man, I have been enraptured by her magical narratives.

Lost Girls takes this depth of storytelling to a new level. The album concept began with a soundtrack for an 80s inspired film with a screenplay to accompany it, a curious love story featuring alien fascinations and supernatural biker gangs. In an interview with NME, Khan expressed her passion for the paranormal and revealed that her favourite childhood films included these kinds of mystical themes; Lost Girls directly harks back to this nostalgia. With these ideas creating an aesthetic foundation, the music fell into place very quickly. The 80s influences spring out when listening to the album and are reminiscent of widely-loved artists of the era, mirroring the styles of David Bowie and Depeche Mode. The album is similarly moody, and a heavy use of synths introduces a gothic sound.

Khan also described how her move to LA before creating Lost Girls rekindled her creativity and inspired her narrative. Living in California has proven to be a formative element in establishing the album’s sound. With it’s clear psychedelic and dream pop influences, there seems to be a whimsical echo of other artists also inspired by the California-style “American dream,” such as Lana Del Rey.

Although the creation of Lost Girls begins in a similar style to Khan’s previous albums, the end product sounds quite different. The album’s sound is far more playful and upbeat than her former releases, while the narrative is simultaneously darker and more conceptual. Khan’s exit from her record label, Parlophone, made her feel “liberated,” and without any pressure from a record company she felt free to explore new pathways. This freedom, combined with her move to LA, led to the creation of a new sound for Lost Girls.

The album feels surreal and hazy from start to finish, with many of the tracks contributing a perfect blend of playful melancholy. Songs like ‘Desert Man’ and ‘Peach Sky’ have a particular ethereal fluidity to them, with layered textures, gradual build-ups, and echoey vocals. Alternatively, ‘So Good’ is a brilliant display of Khan’s talent for writing moody yet upbeat tracks, with bouncy rhythms and dancey synths reinforcing the 80s vibe. The songwriting in Lost Girls stretches from gothic rock to dance to purely instrumental. Tracks like ‘Vampires,’ feature distorted guitars and a soaring saxophone lead, which pairs well with the fantastical imagery. ‘Mountains’ stands out from the other tracks as it is especially emotional and is reminiscent of her previous work, bringing the album to a profoundly heartfelt close.

The true essence of Lost Girls is Khan’s ability to conjure a kaleidoscope of emotional nostalgia, and a story with two sides of light and darkness: the impulsive and exciting love story overshadowed by powerful occult forces. The many influences which combine to form Lost Girls create an uncanny world which blurs the line between reality and fantasy, modern and vintage. With this Khan has devised a soundtrack album fit for a future feature film.