[Single Review] Carly Rae Jepsen – This Kiss

Following up “Call Me Maybe” was always going to be a hard task for Carly Rae Jepsen. The summer smash is the dictionary definition of a perfect pop song, so anything coming after it is automatically going to be seen as somewhat inferior, no matter how good it may be.
Now that that’s been clarified and acknowledged by all parties involved, I can get right into stanning for Carly Slay’s incredible new single, “This Kiss”.
While pop culture is currently enjoying a nineties revival, Carly’s wisely decided to skip the now predictable decade and get into the groove of the eighties instead. Produced by Mathew Koma and LMFAO’s Redfoo, “This Kiss” is pure post-disco pop, synthetic and fizzy, but also a little cheeky, like most of the music from that era was. It’s very early-Madonna-meets-Debbie-Gibson, with the modern gloss of a flirty Katy Perry record.
Lyrically, Carly Rae’s back on the prowl again, this time leaving her boyfriend at home so she can pursue an “unreliable” fella she shares an “undeniable” attraction for. The dude in question is also in a relationship, but can’t seem to keep away from Carly either. It’s a scandalous situation, but Carly Rae captures the giddy excitement that chasing forbidden fruit and falling for someone on the spot can bring, rather than wallowing in the potential sleaziness of cheating on a spouse.
Being bad has never sounded so sweet.
“This Kiss” is more of a grower than a shower, but give it some time and you’ll soon be awkwardly humming it to yourself at the supermarket and on public transport like it’s “Call Me Maybe” all over again.
Score: 4.25/5