I know that after a year of reading my bullshit nuanced analysis here at I OH YOU, you probably think I have a type. That I tend to throw myself behind the first low quality, distorted, tape recorded, guitar pop track that falls in front of me? BUT GUESS WHAT? I like pop too! I do, I do! A shit hot pop song will end up on repeat for days for me, and I think I have found the next piece of pure pop to burn itself into my brain. And it’s Eilish Gilligan, of course. It had to be didn’t it? Over her previous three tracks, I was treated to a range of soundscapes, all weaving their intricate influences into the work. It felt off-kilter, but deep down I knew it was built on a pop base. And man, oh man, ‘S.M.F.Y.’ proves it all. This is what pop should always be. What it needs to be. With soft, bubbling production (worth noting that it was produced by Japanese Wallpaper, the maestro of all things bubbly), the track lifts Eilish’s vocals right to the front. She commands the metaphorical stage (just like she commands the physical stage) with poetically ‘real’ lyrics and just a real smart delivery. If I don’t see a Lorde tour with Eilish Gilligan on main support this year, I will literally lose it.
‘S.M.F.Y’ is out now.
Image Credit: Giulia Giannini McGauran