The girl may have no face, but she certainly has a voice.
"Article published in Slant Magazine. Author: Dana Poland."
There’s a secret in me I will never tell,” Allie X, a.k.a. Alexandra Hughes, sings on “Galina,” a track from her third studio album, Girl with No Face. Indeed, the artist maintains a certain mystery throughout the album’s 11 songs, and the title track subtly reveals the intention behind this decision: “I’m the girl with no face/You could learn a thing or two/Then you’re gonna thank me/Say ‘You look familiar, who are you?’”
Hughes is singing from the perspective of a ghost avenging dead artists who fell victim to the toxicity of the industry, and she continues to channel this character—as well as her myriad influences—throughout Girl with No Face. Hughes’s classically trained voice helps aid her shapeshifting: Her vocal runs on “Truly Dreams” are strikingly reminiscent of Kate Bush, while the bright, energic hook of “Black Eye” nods to early Madonna.
Hughes’s synth-pop influences, in particular, are more apparent on tracks like “Truly Dreams” and “John and Jonathan” than ever before. On “Saddest Smile,” an electro-pop beat and growling synths slowly unfold into a swirl of airy vocals and hints of melancholy reminiscent of the Cocteau Twins. The robotic “Hardware/Software,” on the other hand, feels like her take on ’80s new wave in the vein of the B-52’s and Talking Heads.
Almost every song on Girl with No Face was written and produced by Hughes, and this creative autonomy gives the album a personal touch that past releases like 2017’s CollXtion II lacked. The songs here are imbued with an obvious newfound strength and confidence: “I’ve got the power/The world come hurt me I don’t mind,” Hughes declares on “Staying Power.” The girl may have no face, but she certainly has a voice.
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