A few simple elements, arranged properly, and this will have you screaming Tove Styrke's name all summer long.
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Simplicity is the modern-day hallmark of a good summer song – just look at ‘Closer‘ by The Chainsmokers, ‘This Girl’ by Kungs, and, going back a little further, Felix Jaehn‘s remix of ‘Cheerleader’ by OMI. Swedish pop star Tove Styrke (because all the hot young female stars are Scandinavian these days) has certainly got one eye on sun-soaked structural simplicity with the addictive melody of ‘Say My Name,’ but it’s the combination of sparse arrangement and eye-catching sounds that make this so smoothly explosive.
Styrke’s voice takes on the role of a melodic instrument, her hushed murmurs of the verses creating an eerie vibe when all thay accompanies them are the synth percussion. This combination, in small doses, expertly complements the sexy and provocative tone that the central guitar riff and choruses are built on: “Wear it out like a sweater that you love / ‘Cause I can’t get enough when you say my name” is plainly a good lyrical simile, as sweet as it is sly. And that’s really the entire secret of ‘Say My Name.’ At the most, it’s a refined, intoxicating mix of basic elements that succeeds on the terms of a summer pop hit with all the coy confidence of someone exactly as old as Styrke’s own 24 years.
‘Say My Name’ is out now via RCA
