It’s difficult to find any review of Lana Del Rey’s which doesn’t feature the cliché ‘gangster Nancy Sinatra’; however, there are elements of this description which somewhat better fit LA-based Ryder’s ‘Pretty Little Gangster’, reminiscent of a trippy ‘National Anthem’.
Although unsigned, producer Cali Cleve has helped to create former the EDM star’s Coachella daze sound, a melange of trip-hop sprinkled with urban pop. Inspired by the “unguarded spirituality of tribal mystics”, ‘Pretty Little Gangster’ marries echoic vocals with a satisfyingly danceable chorus to create an unashamedly summery anthem.
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“The good life will always remind me / The real world can be so confining / But power can also be blinding / Feet will never touch the ground,” sings the 22 year-old Ryder, soundtracking that song you heard at the club but can’t remember. Whilst ‘Pretty Little Gangster’ doesn’t always pack a punch, it surely has Radio 1 written all over it and if online hype is anything to go by, prepare to lose yourself in Ryder’s sonic landscape very soon.
Words by Kristen Sinclair