‘I think androgyny is an art form,” declared Laura “LP” Pergolizzi last year, and the New York singer-songwriter certainly carries it off. Her mix of tousled curls, mens’ jackets and sunglasses after dark make the 37-year-old look part-Patti Smith, part-Marc Bolan. “I’ve always felt kinda gender neutral,“ she says.

Her fifth album similarly respects no boundaries, careering between sultry and exuberant, from big pop to chugging rock. Opener Dreamcatcher – all wistful yearning and eerie, mystical sounds – could fit perfectly on a late period Fleetwood Mac or Stevie Nicks album, but is very different from LP’s big-lunged ballads. Girls Go Wild (“… on the west coast, come on let’s go!”) is fantastic travelogue pop, with a huge chorus, New Order-y guitar solo and even a bout of whistling.

The star – who has written for Christina Aguilera and Rihanna – certainly knows her way around mainstream, universal pop and a big chorus. However, while her gender-neutral songs occasionally dip into cliche – “getting high on your own supply”, Die for Your Love and such – she has too much heart to really lapse into generic production pop. The beautiful Recovery (“I’m finally sober … the worst is over, nobody died”) is epic, but startlingly intimate. Shaken gives the Mac sound a dancier sheen and terrific, pounding closer Special nods to vintage Pretenders.

Her world-wearied vocals – reminiscent of Bob Dylan – dominate the big pop sound throughout, and if there’s a nagging question mark about who she really is, maybe that’s the point.