And with this pick from William John, we *also* have not a lot left to say. This is our final post of our 2023 year-end special. Is it our final post? For now...
[7.57]
Total writers: 7
Highest score: [9]
Lowest score: [5]
Controversy index: 1.06
[7.57]
Total writers: 7Highest score: [9]
Lowest score: [5]
Controversy index: 1.06
William John: We're at the end of 2023, and while the Origibabes are finally back again, they've now got upstarts to contend with. Say Now, known by the dubious moniker "needanamebro" for most of this year, are three young singers who combine imperiousness and beatific harmony; the more things change, the more they stay the same. "Not A Lot Left To Say" goes by in a blink, but perhaps that's by design, given that it's documenting the painful moment of a relationship that sits somewhere between Erykah Badu's "Next Lifetime" and a kind of detached apathy -- to say anything more than nothing seems fruitless. The song's spacious production reminds me of "Everything is Embarrassing," Dev Hynes' classic traipse through the gloom with Sky Ferreira. It was Hynes who guided Mutya, Keisha and Siobhan back from the figurative dead ten years ago, and while they're hardly in danger of being replaced just yet, I'm excited by the prospect of Ysabelle, Amelia and Maddie continuing their legacy.
[9]
Crystal Leww: One of the most wonderful things about UK pop music is how it's continued the tradition of the girl group in Western pop, which has largely ceded ground to Asia. Say Now follows in a long lineage, which recently just made FLO the Sound of 2023, and "Not A Lot Left To Say" is just stacked and layered harmonies on top of each other. I feel like this is like the **~~Just Girl Things~** version of when the dude at the party busts out the acoustic guitar -- just three girls riffing and seeing how they can jam together and make a little tiny shitting on their ex. Cute!
[7]
Ian Mathers: Breakup songs that also acknowledge "don't wanna be your friend, don't wanna be your ex" are too few and far between, and this one has a commendable sense of swing, vocal performances, and brevity to match. Like the relationship, it ends just when it needs to.
[9]
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