Sugababes : Round Round

With the blinding ‘Freak Like Me’, Sugababes simultaneously resurrected a flagging career, brought the bootlegging scene overground, and provided fresh testimony to Gary Numan’s towering genius. This follow-up again draws inspiration from early-80s robo-pop, its hypnotic chorus bearing a sneaky resemblance to Dead Or Alive’s classic ‘You Spin Me Round (Like A Record)’. Elsewhere Keisha, Mutya and new kid Heidi perfect their trademark if-we-could-be-arsed drawl, which may lack the innovative sparkle of ‘Freak Like Me’, but ‘Round Round’ seems certain to propel Sugababes back to the chart’s summit, and provide plenty of opportunities for them to step through their dead-eyed, disinterested routine on 'TOTP'. Hear'Say take note: surly is the new sassy.

Niall O’Keefe