PinkPantheress is ready to own the spotlight. Once an elusive bedroom producer, she blew up on TikTok with delicate, diary-like tracks like ‘Break It Off’ and ‘Just for Me’ in 2021. The success of her 2023 debut album ‘Heaven Knows’ and her early career-defining hit ‘Boy’s A Liar Pt. 2’ with Ice Spice followed, and now, her second mixtape ‘Fancy That’ marks another evolution. With it, this once mysterious presence in music is ready to face her audience head-on, louder, bolder and (as always) entirely unbothered.
Last year, the star caused a heated debate after saying no song needs to be longer than two-and-a-half minutes or repeat anything – and she stays true to that on ‘Fancy That’. But even in nine succinct tracks, the singer-producer is still able to convey vivid stories. ‘Noises’ is a tale about her enjoying being home alone before something startles her. She also flaunts her signature humour, sampling and then echoing Nardo Wick’s viral “What the fuck is that?” vocal slice throughout the woozy, jungle-inspired soundscape.
The euphoric ‘Romeo’ is an ode to limerence as she gushes uncontrollably about a crush over a frenzied yet serotonin-filled instrumental, while ‘Nice to Know’ is cinematic and surreal. Breakbeats crash under ghostly strings as a sample of William Orbit and Sugababes’ hidden gem ‘Spiral’ adds a sense of the ethereal before the British superstar adds a spoken-word verse of her own – an element she uses throughout the tape. There’s a controlled chaos to it all: even when she’s experimenting, every choice feels deliberate.
The mixtape’s singles ‘Tonight’ and ‘Stateside’ deliver a double hit of sultry adrenaline. On ‘Tonight’, she sheds her usual restraint and dials up the sensuality, purring over a twinkly Y2K beat that samples Panic! At The Disco’s ‘Do You Know What I’m Seeing?’. It’s pure cheek, full of matter-of-fact lust and anxious synths. Then comes ‘Stateside’ – PinkPantheress’ favourite track, according to a press release – where she’s toying with the idea of a transatlantic romance. Its layered references – Adina Howard’s sassy ‘Freak Like Me’, Groove Armada’s melancholic ‘Paper Romance’ – give the track high emotional velocity, like it’s a fantasy and she’s giddy with disbelief at how real it feels.
That wide-eyed wonder turns bittersweet on ‘Stars’. When we called PinkPantheress “the blueprint for the future of British pop” in 2023, it might have seemed bold, but on this glittery standout, she proves us right. Sampling Just Jack’s 2007 hit ‘Starz In Their Eyes’, she retools the original’s cynicism into a shimmering 2-step cheating anthem.
In this masterfully hypnotic and vibrant package, the bouncy 808s and gleaming melodies only sharpen the paranoia in the lyrics, turning a nostalgia trip into something fractured and emotionally raw. “Now, why do you wanna go and put starz in their eyes? / It’s the same old story, well, they just didn’t realise,” PinkPantheress sings alongside Jack, understanding that the haze of love was just a dream.
With ‘Fancy That’, PinkPantheress is kicking down the door to her next chapter – one that promises to be more adventurous than ever. She’s no longer content with being the elusive girl behind the screen, proving she can shapeshift, push boundaries and still keep us hooked – all in under 20 minutes.
