Tender Trap

6 Billion People (Matinée)

By Garin Pirnia
Published: June 19th, 2006 | 11:59am

Twee pop emerged in England in the ‘80s and groups like Talulah Gosh and Heavenly helped the genre flourish. Amelia Fletcher was the lead singer of the aforementioned groups and now has moved on to yet another band, the cuddly Tender Trap comprised also of Rob Pursey and John Stanley.

Formed in 2001, Tender Trap’s first album was 2002’s Film Molecules followed by this year’s Language Lessons EP. They record upbeat yet minimal pop songs with an undertone of desolation to them. The best thing about Tender Trap is how Fletcher’s lyrics ascend with 69 Love Songs wryness. The title track opens the terse album introducing Fletcher’s confectionary vocals and musings on finding the right person in a world filled with so many people. At times the lyrics are quite specific: “Five go hiking in Thailand / Six have chats on eBay.” Several of the tracks, including the next one, “Talking Backwards,” integrate catchy bah bah’s and ahh’s. It is a shimmering song with universal themes like being too tongued-tied to talk to your crush. “I Would Die For You” hits morbid territory with Fletcher rhetorically asking, “If I were to die / How long would you cry?” and goes on to say, “Six feet underground / Where true love is found” — all created with dulcet harmonies.

In the latter part of the record, Fletcher’s voice begins to evoke Deborah Harry especially on “(I Always Love You When I’m) Leaving You” as the music becomes slightly discordant. But, Tender Trap salvages its sweetness and momentum with the denouncement, “Dead and Gone” when dreamy melodies usurp ambivalent lyrics: “Dead and gone / All the dreams and all the fears I have for you, disappear” and “I won’t ever know if you care.” Tender Trap may not uphold the regalities of Fletcher’s former projects, but the lyrics alone are worth discovering.