Connie Constance - Miss Power (LP)

Connie Constance’s second album, Miss Power, lands like a sparkler in your hand. It came out on 4 November 2022 through Play It Again Sam, and it feels like the moment Constance Power, from Watford, flicked the switch from promising to fully charged. The title is a neat wink to her own surname, but the record is not a costume. It sounds like a person who knows exactly what she wants from a song, and has the claws to get it.

If you want a single that sums up the record’s mood, start with Till the World’s Awake. It bursts open with chiming guitars and a rhythm section that runs with its knees up, every bar pushing for daylight. The chorus hits clean and quick, a rush of air and grit, and Constance rides it with a voice that can rasp in the verses then soar without losing bite. Mood Hoover goes the other way, scuffed and springy, a pogo of a track that leans into bratty punk attitude without knocking out the tune. Across the album you can hear her tug-of-war between indie sparkle and warehouse stomp, but she never falls into a split. The parts lock together because the writing is tight.

A lot of guitar records talk about energy, then leave the drums sounding like cardboard. Not here. Miss Power feels physical. The snare snaps, the bass climbs and barges, and the guitars chew around the edges before stepping back to let the vocals jab. You can imagine the band on a sweaty stage, not a grid on a screen. The whole thing moves with the agility of the London indie scene she came up in, yet there is a pop sense that keeps everything pointed at the hook.

Constance has always blurred lines, from dusky soul to spiky rock, but this time she writes with a sharper pen. Self-belief threads the record, not as slogans but as earned moments. She sings about pushing through static, about friends who anchor you, about the thrill of your own nerve. The melodies don’t hide that intent. They carry it. When she softens, it is to pull you closer before the next swing. When she snarls, it feels like a grin more than a wall.

There is a lot of talk about authenticity in indie spaces, like it is something you can audit. Miss Power does not posture. It feels lived in because the details are tactile. Guitar tones are scuffed at the edges, backing vocals feel tossed off in the best way, and small percussive ticks arrive at just the right second. Nothing feels fussed over for shine. It is tuned for impact, and it lands.

Critics heard it. Outlets like NME and DIY praised the record’s bite and her surefooted step into a louder lane, and you can hear why within the first few tracks. But the album also rewards full playthroughs. The sequencing keeps the pulse up while letting space in, so by the back stretch you are not waiting for the next single, you are carried by the mood. It is a neat trick, and one that suggests she is thinking like an album artist, not just a playlist fighter.

On vinyl, this record really clicks. The low end gets weight, the cymbals breathe, and the choruses bloom in a way that flat files shrug at. If you are crate-digging in a Melbourne record store, keep an eye out for Miss Power vinyl. It sits nicely next to the rougher side of modern UK guitar pop, and it is the sort of LP you flip and play again because the room feels better with it on. If you prefer to buy Connie Constance records online, the pressing via PIAS has been easy to track down, and it is a smart pickup while Connie Constance albums on vinyl still feel like a secret to most punters. For anyone building a shelf of vinyl records Australia wide, this one earns its space.

Miss Power is the sound of an artist trusting her engine. No fuss, no coyness, just songs that punch and glow. If English Rose set the stage back in 2019, this is the kick that lights it up. Put it on, turn it up, and let it run. It will find you where you live.