Just as the initial euphoric feelings of genius begin to wear off from subsequent, repetitive listens of both Jessie Ware‘s and Lady GaGa‘s recent offerings (“Stupid Love” and “Rain On Me“), my very-own feel-good pop queen Kylie Minogue jumps back onto the scene with the seemingly-polished but jarring “Say Something.” Take a listen below:
Taking hints from her previous show-stopping tunes, Kylie doubles up on nostalgia for this first single in over a year. Helming her soon-to-be-released 15th studio album “DISCO,” “Say Something” combines the laid-back essential feel of her 2010 single “Better Than Today” with the lyricism of “All the Lovers” and, more recently, “Dancing.” It comes down to anthemic choruses – ones that are bigger than the song. Ones that represent the moment in time.
One thing that truly stands out is her final 1:15-minute breakdown, reminiscent of her gorgeous “I Believe in You” and even Robyn‘s “With Every Heartbeat” – less of a copy and more of an homage. Its repetitive nature makes for a hypnotic and jarring experiences, chock-full of dramatic flourishes and a gospel-esque backing vocal to bring the listener to fully realize just how much love truly is “life.” I just wish that the producers had allowed for the chorus to continue on for an extra 8-count before moving into this final “message.” But, just as the pandemic cares little for what we truly want this year, Kylie and her producers push through to concoct a pop song that sounds every bit late ’70s as it sums up the variant nature of 2020.
Speaking of lyrics, Kylie and her team of writers perfectly sum up the loneliness so many of us may be feeling as a result of the mandatory isolation dominating our lives for past several months (see Coronavirus). She sings of checking in with friends. Of extending kindness to others. Of the longing that we all feel inside of us to be with the ones we love. She acknowledges those feelings and coerces us to dance those emotions out. And all in true Kylie fashion.
I find it interesting that as even more artists explore the disco genre in such high-profile releases (see: Dua, GaGa, Jessie, now Kylie), the world has come to its own reckoning regarding the treatment of vulnerable communities. The history of disco is a celebration of queer and black communities, two communities that have been front and center in revolutions shaping nations throughout the world last month. While these are cis-white women who are revisiting the roots of dance and disco, they continue to make it a celebration of both queerness and blackness. Here’s hoping that disco making a resurgence in western culture as mainstream culture is starting to question norms of injustice and systemic oppression has the ability to soundtrack victories for communities of color and other vulnerable communities worldwide.
Rating: 4.25/5 stars (I really wish that chorus was longer than an 8-count!)
