Dan Says – Week Sixteen

Hello! I’m back!



I feel a bit like Lorraine Kelly… having a little break when not overly needed. Do I feel refreshed? Not particularly…however I do feel rejuvenated in future plans and that’s always exciting…

In my little hiatus, I spent a little time away in Cornwall…playing crazy golf, eating scones with jam & cream, long walks & even dying my hair silver… can we note that this is the hybrid of a conventional Cornish holiday?

I also managed to catch a couple of gigs – The Vamps (too drunk to remember most of it tbh) and Mariah (I will get a review over). Music has been my soundtrack over the last few weeks and I hope you vibe to these tracks as much as I am.

Miley Cyrus – ‘D.R.E.A.M’ (Feat. Ghostface Killah)

Miley Cyrus - D.R.E.A.M. feat. Ghostface Killah (Audio)

Miley has been teasing the ‘She Is Coming’ EP for some weeks now but as far as what direction she was going in; we were none the wiser & the 6-Track EP dropped last Friday and is quite the collision of sounds (which makes sense considering how Miley alters her sound). ‘D.R.E.A.M’ (not to be confused with the bop from the Hannah Montana movie) is a mystical, ‘Bangerz’ meets ‘Dead Petz’ feel. The hook is hypnotic and the lyrics seem to refer to a romance heightened by drug use. Or perhaps the relationship is the drug? It must be noted that the rap from Ghostface is so sporadically placed on the track… you feel like you’re in this state of a lovely dream and then you’re suddenly awoken.

Cheryl – ‘Let You’

Cheryl - Let You (Official Video)

The British sweetheart Cheryl makes a welcome return with ‘Let You’. After the not-so-great ‘Love Made Me Do It’ last year, expectations for ‘Let You’ weren’t high however the Cheryl naysayers probably should eat their words because ‘Let You’ is the electropop spectacle that we love and expect from Cheryl. Highlight has to be the middle eight where a vocodered Cheryl declares “cause we only got like this”. Little note – there’s an orchestra version which elevates the song further.

Katy Perry – ‘Never Really Over’

Katy Perry - Never Really Over (Official Video)

‘Never Really Over’ serves as the first single from KP5 and is ultimately a return-to-form for Katy after, what seems, a shaky bunch of releases. There is no denying that ‘Witness’ missed the beat, even if ‘Bon Appétit’ is criminally underrated and a highlight among quite a poor album… ‘Never Really Over’ is a really good “feels like ‘Teenage Dream’ era” Katy with a slightly unconventional chorus…simply put. Its literally a mouthful “just because its over doesn’t mean it’s really over and if I think it’s over maybe you’ll be coming over again and I’ll have to get over you again”. Quite the mouthful but it’s fun and works.

Royse – ‘If I Loved You’

"IF I LOVED YOU" (OFFICIAL LYRIC VIDEO) By Royse

‘If I Loved You’ is such a gem of a pop song. It’s always nice to make a new discovery & this is definitely a discover. ‘If I Loved You’ is a tale about the beginnings of a new relationship & taking that leap & it feels like there seems hesitation from Royse’s lover. The track is layered over a dancey-beat with Royse reaffirming “If I / If I / If I / If I loved you… you’d know”.

Tove Lo – ‘Glad He’s Gone’

Tove Lo - Glad He's Gone (Lyric Video)

Tove’s debut album ‘Queen Of The Clouds’ was my 2014 obsession…it was pop euphoria at it’s very best and whilst she’s followed up with two statement albums, there’s only been some moments that really triumph for myself…‘Glad He’s Gone’ serves as the first release from Tove’s forthcoming fourth album & is particularly interesting because it features the most subtle sample of Joni Mitchell’s ‘Big Yellow Taxi’ whilst narrates a tale of a girl getting over a guy. The classic tale.

Lana Del Rey – ‘Doin’ Time’

Lana Del Rey - Doin Time (Official Audio)

‘Doin’ Time’ is the latest Lana release and is actually a cover of the Sublime track…now I must be honest, I’m not familiar with the Sublime original so was naturally taken in by the interpolation of ‘Summertime’ by George Gershwin. As for ‘Doin’ Time’ it feels very Lana…with it’s spooky summery vibe. It could easily sit alongside her ‘Honeymoon’ era. The middle eight here is by far the most interesting part of the track as Lana declares “evil / they’ve come to tell you that she’s evil”.

Well that’s me for now…see you next week! Oh and watch out for my Mariah review!

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