Rita Ora ft Cardi B, Bebe Rexha & Charli XCX
Girls
Ora has herded an all-star posse to have a go at making Lady Marmalade 2.0 with a bi-curious twist, and the result is an afterhours anthem for ladies who, as Cardi B gleefully raps, aren’t looking for a dog but a “kitten”. Relentlessly unsubtle lyrics about scissoring and being “50/50” feel weirdly posey but, problematic elements aside, this remains a banger, fizzing with energy as though everyone piled into the studio straight after downing seven mimosas at brunch.
A$AP Ferg & Elle Fanning
Moon River
Thanks to brands such as Target and Gap turning their focus to the music industry, we’ve recently seen logic-defying collabs between Lil Yachty and Carly Rae Jepsen, as well as Future and Cher. Blessed be: the good people at megabucks jewellers Tiffany have now seen fit to remake Moon River from Breakfast at Tiffany’s, because the only thing missing from Audrey Hepburn’s classic was an A$AP Ferg verse about Cristal. Elle Fanning is here, too; I guess she sings now.
Tirzah
Gladly
Tirzah’s DIY twist on soul has a gorgeous submerged piano melody, deadpan vocals and a touching refrain: “All I want is you.” Gladly’s woozy cosiness recalls the fluffy feeling of waking up from a short, gin-in-a-can-addled nap: your mouth feels as if you’ve been chowing down on cotton balls and cream crackers, but everything seems in place because you’ve got someone to watch Britain’s Got Talent with later.
Enrique Iglesias ft Pitbull
Move to Miami
Here’s Move to Miami, an Auto-Tuned ode to booties that “clap”, week-long partying and a woman’s body that’s built like a Bugatti. It’s an exercise in barrel-scraping: unless, of course, Enrique’s mechanical fantasy is in tribute to Sophia, the social humanoid robot developed in Hong Kong by Hanson Robotics. In which case, I welcome this pioneering tribute to our AI overlord.
Róisín Murphy
All My Dreams
Fuelled by a lot of horned-up panting, this ex-Moloko art-pop diva’s six-minute house track is her best in ages. “Ridiculously sexy … this wait is driving me crazy,” she dramatically intones, putting into words the feeling of sneaking a 2am “U up?” sender in through the back door. Or the feeling of staring at the Domino’s pizza tracker. Either way, it’s a song to live your very best life to.
