Listen: Florrie – “Seashells”

2013 was definitely a year for comebacks. Daft Punk, Justin Timberlake, David Bowie, Beyonce all emerged from hiding under their respective rocks with more music for us. Florrie seems to be a bit late on this comeback hype but it’s a good thing she’s back to make the pop scene her own with new single, “Seashells”, the first release from her upcoming EP Sirens.

Florrie, who already has a storied history as a behind-the-scenes popsmith working as the drummer of Xenomania’s houseband (meaning she’s worked with Girls Aloud, the short-lived Mini Viva, and Pet Shop Boys) is someone who really likes to get stuck in; a nice refreshing change in the world of pop music. Songwriter, producer, drummer, model – Florrie juggles a lot and manages to do it well. She’s a jack of all trades, master of pretty much all of them, and it seems like 2014 is the year she really makes it big after chugging away for so long.

After taking a fair bit of time off to get her debut album sorted out, “Seashells” is a pretty great way to signal a return. From the start of that looped beat built up of random samples that, on paper, don’t seem like they’d work together at all but that somehow weave themselves together nicely, you know this is not going to be your everyday chart hit. The weird combination of vocal samples and electronic beats creates a track with an interesting Middle Eastern flavour that wouldn’t sound out of place as a dancier Omar Souleyman track. It’s a lot darker than the usual breezy, fun pop we’re used to but it’s a fierce piece of pop that manages to retain that exciting originality that makes Florrie so special.

Sirens is out at the end of April, with her debut album hopefully before the end of the year.