New releases
Published 3:00 am Tuesday, December 12, 2023
How do you become introduced to PinkPantheress?
Is it the viral, U.K. garage-sampling TikTok hits “Break It Off” or “Pain”? Or is it more recent — an inescapable song of the summer, “Boy’s a Liar Pt. 2,” featuring Ice Spice? Or “Angel,” her contribution to the Mark Ronson-produced “Barbie” soundtrack? Or something else entirely?
There are countless ways in, but the destination is the same: sugary hooks that satiate, her sweet soprano carrying an addictive chorus above hybrid production. And as of Friday, it’s culminated in “Heaven Knows.” The debut full-length record from the U.K. star, who keeps her real name hidden, features 13 tracks she also co-produced.
Any kind of momentum after virality is rarer than the initial 15 minutes of fame. PinkPantheress is an exception because of the tools she wields: Her songs, up until this point, have been remarkably short — a minimalistic sensibility born from her understanding of what works on TikTok, often crafting snippets of a track, seeing if it works on the platform, and building them out from there.