Nancy Elizabeth – Simon says dance (Leaf)

The new single from Nancy Elizabeth's upcoming third album, Dancing, this is more of a grower compared to the immediate impact and sweep of the previous single 'The last battle'.

Nevertheless, a great air of mystery and captivation still emerges, via a hint of a Balearic beat and an ageless choir of Nancys. A repeating piano arpeggio is the main musical motif, set against banks of those beautifully delicate backing vocals, until a drum machine, some fuzzy bass and twinkling synths give the song title its head.

There's an interesting provenance to that title.

"I was thinking about how easy it is to walk around thinking that you exist in isolation - to feel somehow cut off. When the fact is that we all have an effect on everyone we interact with all the time and vice versa. I wrote a little poem about it, using dancing as an analogy."

Great. Such philosophical reflections are one of the things pop music should be for. I can't wait to hear the album.

*Incidentally the album contains a different version of the song, which strips out the drums and foregrounds an undertow of synth strings giving an intriguing glimpse of the "dance remix" in waiting.