The Singles - Candy (Single)
Pop/Electro Pop/Ultra Pop
Federal Prism
Posted 2/27/15 - 4:06 PM ET
Sexy electro pop, somewhat reminiscent of Blondie, at least in Scarlett Johansson's vocal style on this first single from the all women supergroup that also features Este Haim, Holly Miranda, Kendra Morris, and Julia Haltigan. Inspired by groups like The Grimes, The Bangles, and The Go-Gos; Johansson has stated that the group aims to produce "ultra dance pop" in the vein of the above mentioned inspirations. The cheeky dance number almost has a parody feel at times, but it is undoubtedly danceable without being bubblegum; Johansson has vocal chops, people forget or don't know about her previous musical endeavors. I'd like to hear more than just this single to get a better taste of the range she can put into this style of pop. The lyrics are repetitive until the bridge (which happens to be the best part of the song), as is expected with dance pop so her expected monotone voice is still present though in a higher register than when she speaks. Bass line is solid and along with the Este Haim's drums provides a lot of what makes this song as good as it is, the throwback synth is pretty good and takes the place of lead guitar.
The main detractor for the song is its repetitiveness, but again it is dance pop and this to be expected. It's not as overproduced as it could be, which is a tick in the pros column of "Candy", and the vibe the song gives off makes it feel, to clarify my parody remark earlier, like it is parodying the state of pop music while being part of the genre. Subversive but not too subversive.
The Singles get a 3.5 out of 5 for "Candy".
The Singles are Scarlett Johansson on vocals, Este Haim on drums, Holly Miranda, Kendra Morris, and Julia Haltigan. The Singles can be heard on Federal Prism's Soundcloud at https://soundcloud.com/federalprismrecs/candy. As per The Guardian's website, the band may not be called The Singles much longer though, as an Los Angles based band of the same name that formed in 1999 has issued a cease and desist letter to Federal Prism. The private representatives of each of the band members have also been contacted demanding they rename themselves and issue apology to the 16 year old band.
- Michael Meade