Another hit from the Little Mix canon with (almost) all the right ingredients, missing only a little of the spark of previous releases.
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The lead song from upcoming fourth album Glory Days, Little Mix’s latest is an upbeat, catchy, and sassy song centred around moving on from disastrous past relationships (and, more specifically, that between Perrie Edwards and former One Direction fixture ZAYN), yet nevertheless it falls short of the unique vibrancy of ‘Black Magic’ and ‘Salute.’ Its highlight is certainly the catchy backing, comprising a very dance-focused beat, and a well-constructed introduction with a sharper edge and striking vocal that flows into more powerful vocal harmonies and a stripped back acapella-inspired section.
Despite the repeated retort (“Shout out to my ex / You’re really quite the man / You made my heart break and that made me who I am”) being sure to flood dance floors around the country, the lyrics are certainly the weakest part of the song, lacking the prominent value of previous hits. Other parts easily fade in to the background and the often sexual lyrics (“I hope she gettin’ better sex / Hope she ain’t faking it like I did, babe”) seem entirely unnecessary in their attempt to appeal to a Beyoncé-type audience while sustaining the fun and friendly pop side that has found success already. With ‘Shout Out To My Ex,’ Little Mix is trying to reach across several genres but needs to be careful not to lose itself in the process. That said, it’s still a marked success: with a memorable beat and refrain that are well-constructed epitomes of previous successes, this is a very promising teaser of a feistier, more mature album to come.
‘Shout Out To My Ex’ is out now via Simco
