By Haldana Juhl
Nine songs and 20 minutes is all took for PinkPantheress to once again bless our ears with her fine artistry and personal take on the electronic genre. With infusion from early 2000’s UK garage – made evident by her genius sampling of Basement Jaxx’s ‘Romeo’ and ‘Always Be There’ in the track ‘Girl Like Me’, along with a musical curveball thrown in with Panic At The Disco’s ‘Do You Know What I’m Seeing’ – we witness her expertise in transcending not just eras, but genres too. By creatively blending soundwaves of the past and the present, this track evokes a sense of envy of those lucky enough to grow up in the prime of UK dance music, while also being grateful that we are alive at the same time as the visionary that is PinkPantheress. She is truly in a league of her own.
So far, the mixtape has been well received and is being dubbed as her best work yet, marking a clear difference from her 2021 bedroom pop releases. Fancy That is fierce, fiery, and flirtatious in comparison to her earlier, more delicate bodies of work. Although her trademark high pitched and soft vocals remain, the instrumentals in her track have taken centre stage, delivering this flashy and sonically assertive collection of music.
The second single of the album is a personal highlight of mine. Produced by The Dare, who worked on the Charli xcx album Brat, the track ‘Stateside’ is undeniably a standout, with glitter pouring from your speakers every time it gets played. The bouncing tempo heavily encourages you to put on your best outfit, preferably featuring leopard print, and strut straight into the club. Its girly electronic sound makes you drunk with confidence, which in my opinion, is exactly what you want to be fed when listening to this genre of music. She sings of taking a flight to visit an American boy, which is combined with breathy background vocals, compiling to form this teasing tune, and a melody more contagious than freshers flu in a university town.
PinkPantheress incessantly urges you to “let it all go” on the track ‘Girl Like Me’, inspiring you to get your feet moving, maybe even jump on a table or two. The track takes you away to a new dimension, one where bad vibes are illegal, God is a DJ, and rhythm is the only form of communication.
The track ‘Romeo’ provides an intertextual reference to the Shakespearian tragic hero of the same name; who says dance music can’t be intellectual? A classic cliche is spun through vivacious guitar riffs, and striking rhymes, giving William’s sonnets a run for their money, as ancient romance greets this modern-day club banger.
Fancy That is definitely the most impressive release for 2025 in the dance music genre. The only downside is that it is not long enough, although this soon turns to be a positive when you realise you can make it longer… by listening to it again. In hindsight, the short length of the album contributes to the seductive sound. Just like the lyrics, the album itself teases you with pure dance music pleasure, leaving you desperate for more.
