And no, she didn’t call Ice Spice crap!
Tiktok’s pop darling PinkPantheress finally released her debut “full-length” album, Heaven Knows on Nov. 10. The British artist is clearly an artistic force to be reckoned with; just this year alone, she was announced as an opener for Olivia Rodrigo’s upcoming world tour, participated in the (Mark Ronson-produced) Barbie soundtrack, and dominated the Billboard charts (and everyone’s hearts) with the remix “Boy’s a Liar pt. 2” featuring Ice Spice.
So of course, all eyes were on PinkPantheress when she announced her debut LP back in October. Everyone — especially me — waited with bated breath until its release. And did it meet expectations? I would say so.
That isn’t to sound unconfident in PinkPantheress (if you check my Spotify, I’m pretty sure every song that she’s released on the platform is in my liked songs), you just never get the same thing twice from her. Additionally, with her collaboration with major producers, including 9-time Grammy winner Greg Kurstin and Grammy-nominee Mura Masa, she is clearly not here to play.
That’s why I was very pleased to hear her loosen the reins of the lo-fi bedroom drum and bass sound she’s known for. This is best exemplified by the promotional single “Capable of Love”, which is a remaster of a 2021 demo. PinkPantheress has an endless reservoir of musical creativity and innovation — it’s what she’s known for — but her ability to completely redraw the lines of a song or even a whole genre is nothing to underestimate.
“Nice to Meet You” featuring Central Cee took me by surprise. The British rapper’s concluding verses are so playful and complementary with PinkPantheress’ flowy vocals and dreamy early 2000s (or as the kids call it, Y2K) instrumentals that you wonder why they haven’t made more music together.
Even the album opener, “Another life” featuring Rema, holds your attention with its eerie organs at the beginning before diving headfirst into weaving bass and marking its climax with a staunch guitar solo. First impressions are everything, and PinkPantheress is telling you that she’s embracing a more atmospheric yet consistent style to her music.
“Ophelia” is another song that reels you in, thanks to Daniel Harle’s production (which earned him an engineering Grammy nomination for Caroline Polachek’s Desire, I Want to Turn Into You). PinkPantheress embodies the character of the same name from Hamlet, ruminating on her failed relationship and blaming herself for her imagined death. The whole song is poetically tragic as if it was made for a modern retelling of the Shakespeare play. You can’t help but feel sorry for her, not because she’s to blame but because she’s embraced such a burden that led to her (fake) passing.
My personal favourite is “Blue”, which makes sense because it’s produced with Sam Gellaitry, who also had a hand in one of my all-time favourite PinkPantheress songs, “Picture in My Mind”. The lyrics reveal that PinkPantheress is majorly influenced by a person (friend, lover, or otherwise) and doesn’t want to be around them anymore; there are hints of jealousy and the push-and-pull feelings that come with it. It’s the all too familiar feeling of becoming dissuaded by a close one, especially the line “How many times do I dream of reachin’ out?”
PinkPantheress’ lyrical growth is not to be ignored either; she’s no longer only completely devoted or only completely heartbroken, either of which shakes her perception of the world. PinkPantheress is frustrated by life, lonely but becoming okay with it, and wondering if having such fame and money at a young age is right for her.
My one and only complaint is that the album is only 34 minutes long, which you can argue adds to its replay value (yay streaming era), but I personally can’t get enough. In an odd, parasocial sense, I’m very proud of PinkPantheress and her journey since “Break It Off”; Heaven Knows is a confident step in a new creative and collaborative direction, and she’s sure as hell not slowing down anytime soon.
