How many good albums came out on Halloween??? Find room for one more with Luvcat’s debut album.

Sophie Morgan Howarth has been rapidly gaining a following since forming Luvcat in 2023. Mixing influences from Nick Cave and The Cure (Luvcat is a nod to ‘The Love Cats’), through to the Rat Pack the debut album is an indie-pop sound that shoehorns in touches from gothic-noir through to out and out pop music. She herself sums it up best in ‘Bad Books’ when she sings “I’m just a victorian lost at the playboy mansion.” This mix of aesthetics is very present in the many videos she has made to go with the many, many singles this album has produced. Morgan Howarth understands that in the age of music as social media commodity the artist who is always releasing quality multimedia content stands the best chance of getting noticed.

This is a strong collection of tracks from a singular talent. It is just out of step enough with modern pop to seem both edgy, old-fashioned and cuttingly trendy all at the same time. ‘He’s My Man’ is like something from Murder Ballads, yet the recently re-recorded version with John Cooper Clarke shows exactly how she is carving her own path. Where will Luvcat go next? You could imagine this project staying just on the edge of full-on mainstream success or blowing up in a Florence + The Machine type fashion. Either way, this album is well worth a listen.