Rarely has someone split opinion like Kate Nash. Either she's one of the most talented new songwriters to have come along in, oooh, decades, or she's a scenester bandwagon jumper intent on stealing Lily Allen's posh frocks and trainers away from her. There is no middle ground when it comes to Ms Nash.
Mouthwash is likely to intensify the debate. The lyrics will either be soul-sappingly twee ("I use mouthwash, sometimes I floss") or a poignant recreation of youth's vulnerability ("I'm singing uh-oh on a Friday night and I hope everything's gonna be alright") depending on your viewpoint. Then there's Nash's voice, still dropping her aitches and half-speaking through the verses, which will wind as many people up as it will endear her to the converted.
What can't be denied is that Mouthwash is another effortlessly enjoyable piano-driven pop songs, stuffed with more hooks than one of Freddy Krueger's gloves. It may not be quite up there with Merry Happy or Mariella, both of which show another side to Nash, but it's still supremely classy pop. The second number one for the girl from Harrow.
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