Since the beginning of her career, platinum pop princess Betty Who has been delivering some of the most undeniably sweet and infectious pop music on the scene. 2013’s The Movement – EP introduced Betty and her 80s inspired gems to the world, and 2014’s Slow Dancing – EP proved that she was no fluke. She was nothing if not a synth driven force to be reckoned with. After an insanely adorable marriage proposal featuring Betty’s breakout single “Somebody Loves You” went viral, Betty signed to RCA Records and went on to release her debut full length album in 2014, entitled Take Me When You Go. Bursting with sugary synths, dazzling lyrics, and some of the catchiest pop melodies imaginable, Take Me When You Go is a pop album that is as enchanting as it is joyous.
In the summer of 2016, Betty released a cover of Donna Lewis’ “I Love You Always Forever”, which was to become the first single from her sophomore album, The Valley, which was released the following year. The track is as bright and glittery as you’d expect a Betty Who song to be, but not all of The Valley followed suit. Much of The Valley saw Betty experimenting with more robust and glitchy production, even incorporating some house and hip-hop influences. Betty’s signature pop sensibility was still as present as ever, but with a slight repackaging, showing that despite some experimentation, Betty is still an indisputable master of all things pop.
Following her 2017 album release, she also parted ways with her record label and became an independent artist once again. To put it simply, Betty now had complete and total control. She used this control to release a string of singles over the first half of 2018, which have been compiled into a now 5 track EP, entitled Betty, Pt. 1. Opening with the shimmering “Just Thought You Should Know”, listeners are immediately transported back to Betty’s earliest works, with a track that is nothing if not pure 80s bliss. The track starts out relatively soft and understated, before erupting into even an even more groovy and stunning second verse and chorus, making for a clear standout. The project’s first single “Ignore Me” falls into similar sonic territory, with a ever present warbling synth line and a peppy, snap driven chorus. Both tracks seem like they would feel right at home on Take Me When You Go, all while sounding as fresh and exciting as ever.
On the other hand, “Taste” and “Look Back” feel like they are much more comparable to a project like The Valley, while also feeling completely unique to Betty’s discography. Both tracks are irrefutably sexy, and play with new sonic territory for Betty. “Taste” features an overbearing, swampy chorus, while “Look Back” plays with island influences, and a chorus that is as goofy as it is catchy. These tracks also feature arguably Betty’s sexiest lyrics, with lines such as “One little bite couldn’t hurt, right? I’ma get what I deserve, right?” and “Tell yourself that we’re just friends, when this conversation ends, I bet you’re gonna look back, look back, look back at it”.
The project’s final track, “Friend Like Me”, is a classically beautiful acoustic guitar driven track, that perfectly showcases both Betty’s songwriting abilities and her talents as a vocalist. The track has a delicate and timeless quality to it, that makes it an indisputable standout on the project, and arguably Betty’s best downtempo song to date. As a whole, Betty Pt. 1 sees Betty Who experimenting with both familiar and unfamiliar sonic styles, all with her uniquely crisp and contemporary point of view on full display, making for a project that manages to be both varied and cohesive. Listen to the EP below!
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