Fancy That
I remember the first time I heard PinkPantheress. It was probably during lockdown, scrolling for hours, and suddenly landing on this strange little corner of the internet where her songs were floating around. Everything she put out had this hazy, glitchy nostalgia that just stuck. To Hell With It wasn’t just a good album—it felt like a moment. The lo-fi production, the whispery vocals, the TikTok virality, all of it felt fresh and specific.
So when Fancy That dropped, I was excited. It’s only 20 minutes long, basically the length of a solid playlist, and I figured it would be another tightly packed set of weird pop gems. But after a few listens, I’ll be honest: I didn’t connect with it the same way. It’s not bad. There are some really interesting choices on here. But it just didn’t hit like her first album did.
The production is still impressive. She’s got this signature sound—UK garage, jungle, dreamy synths—and she leans into that again here. “Illegal” opens things up with a fast-paced, garage beat that’s catchy, even if it doesn’t really match the rest of the tape. “Girl Like Me” plays with old-school jungle percussion, and I like how the lo-fi vocals wrap around the rhythm. That nostalgic-but-futuristic vibe she’s known for is still here. And it still works—at least, most of the time.
The problem is, a lot of this tape feels like it's coasting. Her voice is soft and airy, almost like she’s speaking more than singing, and that can be really effective when the emotion’s there. On Fancy That, it feels a little too clean. I miss the raw edges, the bedroom-recording feel of her earlier tracks. The vocals here are more polished, but less gripping.
One standout is “Noises,” which is probably the weirdest and most memorable track. The beat is chaotic and industrial, and then out of nowhere, there's a Nardo Wick sample—“Who want smoke with me?” It’s totally random, and kind of hilarious, but somehow it fits. That kind of unpredictability is what I wish the whole tape had more of.
Lyrically, she keeps doing what she’s always done. Short, vague, and oddly relatable. Her writing has this eavesdropped-conversation quality, like unsent texts turned into verses. There are themes of love, insecurity, and obsession, but they’re handled with a light touch. It’s intimate, but never too deep, which works for her style. Still, I think some of these tracks could’ve gone further emotionally if they were just a little longer or more developed.
In the end, Fancy That feels more like a side project than a big leap forward. It’s cohesive, the production is solid, and it has its moments. But compared to her debut, it feels like it’s playing it safe. Maybe that’s intentional—maybe this is just a bridge to something bigger—but it didn’t leave a huge impression on me.
PinkPantheress is still one of the more unique artists in the pop space right now. I’ll keep watching what she does next. But for me, this one was just okay.
PINKPANTHERESS - FANCY THAT
RATING - 7.2/10
FAVORITE TRACKS - Noises, Girl Like Me
GENRE - Pop, UK RnB, UK Rap, Indie