OK, I have to say it — Lily Allen is bouncing back with her delicious new single, “Air Balloon,” which dropped today on January 13th, 2014. (Well, OK, she already came back with recent singles “Hard Out Here” and “Somewhere Only We Know,” but now she’s back again, so that’s good enough for me!)
Co-written by Lily and the uber-talented Shellback, it’s a light-hearted, mid-tempo tune with a bit of a reggae vibe, but it especially calls to mind Charli XCX’s “You (Ha Ha Ha)” and the Kelis smash “Milkshake.”
The first time I listened to it, I found myself thinking, this can’t be Lily Allen, since reggae has never been her thing and it’s so unusual to find her voice paired with those sort of buoyant beats. But by the time I’d finished listening to it the second time, it had entirely won me over. It’s just a good, fun tune that doesn’t take itself too seriously. If you thought “Hard Out Here” contained too much social commentary or complaining, you’ll be pleased to find that Lily’s lyrics are light as a breeze here. Here’s one of my favorite lyrics: ”I don’t like dropping names but Kurt Cobain is all in my face / How the hell am I gonna tell him Elvis already took first base?”
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