PinkPantheress Wrestles With Coming of Age and Disappointing Boys in 'Take me home'
If you didn't get everything you wanted this past holiday season, thankfully PinkPanthress is the gift that keeps on giving, with her latest EP, Take me home, serving as a stocking stuffer we just can't get enough of. The three-track body of work is full of emotion and luscious sonics that will leave you wanting to both dance and cry. "I'm so excited to announce my EP, which features tracks I've teased for a while that I can finally show my fans," PinkPantheress shared in a statement. "I wanted to give a Christmas gift for anyone in need of some upbeat music."
The EP begins with the Mura Masa co-produced "Boy's a liar." The dance-inducing track sees PinkPantheress explore the shortcomings of men, specifically the idea that "men are trash." The track is full of lush and hypnotic soundscapes, beaming melodies dripping with spirited, neo-soul vocals. The strident tones of piano keys shudder in and out to the rapid blips of electronica that seem to edge the track faster and faster. Alongside her lightning-quick melodies, her vibrant vocals illuminate a tale of a boy too cowardly or selfish—let's be honest, probably both—to make his true intentions or feelings known. "What's the point of crying? / It was never even love / Did you ever want me? / Was I ever good enough?," she coos over an effervescent beat.
Take me home seamlessly transitions into the Kaytranada-produced "Do you miss me?" The UK songstress details how she's consumed by her infatuation and doesn't even care that she has to share him with someone else. "I can't let go of your hand / I can't even breathe without you I don't think you understand / I love to watch you as you speak / When you say the words I love you, tell me when you fall asleep," she sings in the opening verse. The tone of potential unrequited emotions bubbles to the surface when she asks, "do you miss me?" The chorus boils over into the second verse, where she sees a message from his other lover and wants to do nothing but scream.
The EP's eponymous closer opens with the artist's signature lo-fi drum 'n' bass breakbeat before settling into a sleeker dance-pop groove. The lyrics are witty and full of sharp lines about the anxieties of getting older. "I went to the doctor again / Said I was behind on my rent / He told me it's not a problem for him / I said that you're so good at listening," she sings while swirling sonics wrap listeners in a cocoon of bold, dynamic, and anxious euphoria. Like the EP's other two tracks, "Take me home" harbors a reflective outlook on the future and tries to wrestle with the complexities of becoming an adult and wanting to stay young.
Take me home ends a bustling year for PinkPantheress. In 2022, she released a pair of collaborations, "Where You Are" with Willow and "Picture in My Mind" with Sam Gellaitry, and even appeared on Mura Masa's latest album, Demon Time. More recently, she also appeared on the soundtrack for Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, joining CKay on the track "Anya Mmiri."
Listen to Take me home below:
