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"The freshest pop aficionado gracing the circuit."
Cameron Wright, NARC Magazine
"A white-knuckle ride of gloriously tuneful 20-something angst. A jazzy, brassy paean to modern anxiety. (Dilettante) is a consummate multi-instrumentalist, making brilliantly extravagant art-pop soap operas."
Bob Fischer, Electronic Sound Magazine
"Easy Does It pulls you into its playful, elastic sound from the outset. Buoyant vocals stretch out above the densely constructed waves of music. The bouncing, cheerful bassline is joined by steady drums before a gang of sax and brass roars into life leading into the titular catchy chorus. This seals the song’s art pop credentials perfectly. I defy anyone not to be humming along immediately."
Matt Young, NARC Magazine
"The most skilled usage of a loop pedal I’ve seen live. Frontwoman Francesca Pidgeon is a true multi-instrumentalist, switching with ease between guitar, sax, vocals, keys and percussion, and looping it all with quick and precise succession. Vocals are unarguably a key instrument here, distinctive and gorgeous, with varying inflections.
The result is an expansive sonic world that experiments playfully with the possibilities of music creation. Highlights were Stone, a track overflowing with synth and sax melodies and sustained with a jazz-inflected bass; and Keep Time, a reflection on aging full of looped claps and ticking percussion, a driving bassline and off-kilter sax. Rich vocal layering and looping never feels too busy, but rather polished and intentional. Dilettante’s experimental, vocal-led art pop was a real highlight."
Caitlin Thomson, NARC Magazine
"Impossibly catchy outsider indie that captures an array of musical influences yet somehow seems it's own thing. The songs tend towards jazzy, art-y, post-punkish, funky and playfully creative. Think Mega Bog, Animal Collective, Panda Bear, Laurie Anderson at their most catchy. Recommended."
Jumbo Records, Leeds
"Dilettante's set is an exceptional performance piece, an unreal amount of live layering. Francesca spits vocals with deft pronunciation; this level of art wouldn't work with sunshine
and smiles."
Damian Robinson, NARC Magazine
"A rousing slice of danceable art-pop."
Helen Evans, She Makes Music
"Some of the most beautiful and interesting art rock/pop instrumentation I've ever heard accompanied by stunning vocal harmonies front to back. Please give it a listen. 89/100"
Miles Hadley, International Music Desk
"Idiosyncratic melodies and elastic vocal lines above a rubbery bass hook, and buzzing synths. Her stacked glassy vocal harmonies occasionally recall Kate Bush, but the track equally feels influenced by the offbeat art pop of the late aughts, incorporating brass-tinged instrumental breaks and wild textures as it winds onward. The results are frayed and manic, but equally captivating, the weird and wiry side."
Caleb Campbell, Under The Radar Magazine
Album of the Year 2022
ROAR Records
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