I Hear You

It’s that eclectic and restless nature that makes I Hear You one of those rare dance albums that sounds equally at home in the living room or in a club. Expect Peggy Gou to be the soundtrack to all the hottest barbecues and beach parties this summer.

I Hear You is a sparkling introduction to Gou’s eclectic “K-house” sound.

An earnest but keenly self-aware synchronisation of Gou’s ‘eyes on the Top 40’ dance music with an artistry that is both curious and willing.

While there is room for improvement, I Hear You is an impressive debut album, tackling a multitude of genres with remarkable confidence. It’s yet another step in the right direction for Peggy Gou.

Designed for finding communion with others while staying true to oneself, I Hear You touches the timeless with an ethos of openness, striking a vibrant and dynamic balance between familiarity and freshness.

I Hear You doesn’t reinvent the wheel by any stretch, but on songs such as the airy, mysterious “Purple Horizon,” or on the energizing ’90s house of “I Go,” Gou’s beats provoke such an instant, friendly nostalgia for warm twilight dances and neon club parties that their charm is irresistible.

‘I Hear You’ is a solid tribute to vintage house, brought cohesively together under Gou’s powerful artistic stamp. But, there’s a feeling we’ve already seen her best work – 2021’s gorgeous synth-wave single ‘I Go’ is included in this tracklist but is not rivalled, while tracks like ‘1+1=11’ sound a bit too close to Gou’s self-professed love for 90s German trance DJ, ATB.

I Hear You varies in quality, with some songs clearly more successful than others, but overall, it's a fun, adventurous record confirming Peggy Gou's status as one of the more distinctive figures in club music.

I Hear You strikes a frustrating standoff between these two versions of Gou: It lacks the authentic quirkiness of those earlier hits, yet never lets loose the confetti cannons and fishbowl cocktails promised by “Nanana.”

Throughout ‘I Hear You’, there’s a clear intention to create something beyond what Peggy Gou is typically renowned for, yet it doesn’t always quite hit.

When ‘I Hear You’ deviates from its dance-pop blueprint, it doesn’t always work. .... The album picks up in its explorative second half, with intercontinental drum’n’bass (‘Seoulsi Peggygou’) and comforting piano house (‘Purple Horizon’). There are still cheesy references and canned snare fills, but also a welcome dose of surprise.