You can’t plan a hit as big as ‘(It Goes Like) Nanana’, but if anyone could, it’s Peggy Gou. The Korean-born, Berlin-based house producer has made all the right moves since the playful 2018 single ‘It Makes You Forget (Itgahane)’, which featured her singing for the first time. Her cool delivery and slick melodicism stood out. Soon, she had Vogue photoshoots, a massive social following and a hectic tour schedule. But last year’s chart success underlined her crossover appeal; not every dance track gets sung like a football chant at festivals.
Writing a hit put a pause on the album rollout. Fans have been drip-fed songs since 2021’s breezy self-motivation anthem, ‘I Go’. ‘I Hear You’ is a singles album, in that half the songs are singles. While that kills some of the first-listen buzz, it’s understandable. Gou spent time fine-tuning to align with her utopian vision of 90’s Eurodance, as nailed on ‘Nanana’. Some clear touchpoints are ‘Rhythm is a Dancer’, ‘Show Me Love’, and obviously, ‘9PM Till I Come’.
Like ‘Nanana’, ‘Back to One’ and ‘Lobster Telephone’ have impeccably-layered synth hooks and nods to ’90s classics. Both songs present Gou as a beacon of positivity and perseverance connecting us through dance, as stated in her cheeky Korean lyrics: “I know you don’t understand this / But it doesn’t matter / It’s all the same / We’re all the same.” It’s a simple message, but it’ll feel downright spiritual after two pints in the park.
When ‘I Hear You’ deviates from its dance-pop blueprint, it doesn’t always work. The throwback R&B on Lenny Kravitz collaboration ‘I Believe in Love Again’ is a diversion into drab balladry. Next is ‘All That’, a Spanglish pop-rap tune featuring Puerto Rican rapper Villano Antillano. It fairs better thanks to their clear chemistry. Still, two mid-tempo tracks early on stalls the record’s momentum. It’s odd pacing from a DJ.
The album picks up in its explorative second half, with intercontinental drum’n’bass (‘Seoulsi Peggygou’) and comforting piano house (‘Purple Horizon’). There are still cheesy references and canned snare fills, but also a welcome dose of surprise.
That’s the joy of Peggy Gou’s music – she balances class and kitsch equally. When it works, it’s like finding dance music for the first time. ‘I Hear You’ has a pureness that will give many that feeling. You know, that feeling? It goes like Nanana.
