GIRLI - Damsel In Distress

Avril-meets-Britney in a hot-pink explosion of angst: out comes GIRLI. ‘Damsel In Distress’ sees the singer cementing this persona, with a heavy dose of reality. GIRLI isn’t here to do nuance, and her lyrics are straightforward and punchy: navigating crushes in ‘More Than A Friend’, self-image in ‘Dysmorphia’ and ‘I Don’t Like Myself’, and reclaiming rage for power in ‘Ricochet’ and ‘Ruthless’. They’re all familiar topics, handled in a familiar way, so while it isn’t exactly fresh, it’s definitely fun. Lyrical moments like “Hate myself / It’s a full time job” could have been snatched straight off the pages of any teen girl’s diary, confirming that GIRLI’s authenticity is intact, and the sparky electro-pop instrumentals inject the moody lyrics with a bit of buzz. It might not be pioneering, but thanks to its bubbly relatability, it definitely deserves its spot.