After the release of the single ‘Bad Liar’ in 2017, arguably the greatest ‘tide-over-in-between-albums-single’ of all time, these two new releases from Selena Gomez had a lot to live up to. Initially upon starting her lead single ‘Lose You To Love Me’, you couldn’t help but feel Gomez had regressed, reverting back to the safety of a ballad without much meaning or memorability.
However, once the line “In two months, you replaced us” drops you are compelled to pause, rewind and double-check that Selena really delivered that cut to her infamous ex Justin Bieber. The song feels incredibly confessional and moving in its simplicity. Harmonies gradually build with the emotional intensity taking you on the journey of her heartbreak. Following a single as good as ‘Bad Liar’ would be a difficult feat, but the directness of this single brings us behind-the-scenes of the Selena and Justin media cycle with heartfelt sincerity.
Then, much to our surprise, Selena Gomez came through with a second release to remind us not to get caught up in the heartbreak of ‘Lose You’ and lets us know she’s put those feelings behind her. ‘Look At Her Now’ stands diametrically opposed to her prior single in tempo, tone and message. This was a tactful sudden second release as it reframed the narrative surrounding her current position on the Beiber/Baldwin whirlwind romance to being a simple and clear take- she is over it.
‘Look At Her Now’ is an incredibly catchy palette cleanser to the weighty emotion of ‘Lose You’. Gomez somehow manages to make simple humming a killer chorus that one can’t help but hum along with her to. If there are more singles like this to follow on her new album then surely she will continue dominating the pop charts.
3 stars
Image: Selena Gomez via Youtube