When Rina Sawayama unleashed her seminal sophomore album SAWAYAMA upon the world, it became apparent that we were not just witnessing the birth of a new pop star, but a true creative tour de force. Together with producer Clarence Clarity, Sawayama engineered a sound that, although fuelled by nostalgia and her inherent pop music nerdiness, was entirely original. U-turning from nu-metal, to bubblegum pop, to R&B in the span of a single song, this sound together with her sharp, intelligent lyricism that managed to touch on heady subject matter without sacrificing a hook, positioned her as the most promising new voice in pop. Still, Sawayama has struggled to manage the same sort of mainstream adjacent success of her peers like her collaborator Charli XCX, though all the ingredients have been active for a major breakthrough. Hold The Girl, her latest single and the title track off her forthcoming album of the same name, is possibly one of Sawayama’s strongest offerings to date.
Hold The Girl is a song about finding your way back to yourself, and honouring your truth. In many ways, this theme is transposed into the music quite successfully. While previous singles from the album This Hell and Catch Me In The Air hinted toward Sawayama reigning in her stylistic pastiche in favour of something more accessible, Hold The Girl strikes the perfect balance between provocateur and pop star. Opening with a soaring, clerical chorus, Hold The Girl recalls the same sort of structure and tone employed by Madonna on Like A Prayer but done here by way of Bon Jovi. Sawayama’s voice echoes against distant organ chords, angelic as a soft two-one-two beat begins to bubble up from beneath her. Just as you assume you know which direction Hold The Girl is going in, the song swerves into piano driven UKG for an earworm post-chorus. Strings swell, and the song’s first verse flows into Anastatia-esque 2000’s guitar pop, before starting the cycle all over again. It’s thrilling, affecting, and wickedly smart.
Download and stream Hold The Girl here
Notably, Sawayama and Clarity seemed to have settled into their craft of juxtaposition. Whereas the genre bending on SAWAYAMA was often jarring and tonally disjointed, often intentionally so, Hold The Girl flows into its segments with satisfying ease. The song is impressively crafted. When its parts come together on the post second verse chorus, it feels revelatory. Ever the maximalist, following a bridge which sees Sawayama channel Ariana Grande she manages to squeeze in a key change. It’s a gloriously camp drama, and while recent songs have used the tactic flippantly, on Hold The Girl it feels earned.
Watch the music video for Hold The Girl below.
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