Years & Years Deliver a Pop Masterclass on New Single “If You’re Over Me”

Years & Years are extremely good at writing pop music. Have you seen their back catalogue? Olly Alexander has a fantastic pop voice – smooth and with an enviable range – and the band’s sensibility for hook and structure means they seem basically incapable of making anything that isn’t a banger. For this reason, their upcoming record Palo Santo is a very exciting prospect indeed.

On the previous release from the record, “Sanctify,” there was a distinct Britney Spears-circa “Slave 4 U” vibe, and while that’s probably my favourite possible vibe, it’s good to see that Palo Santo will be a slightly more diverse affair if new track “If You’re Over Me,” released today, is any indication. It’s gentler than its predecessor, lead by delicate synths and Alexander’s always gorgeous vocal. Here, he’s pleading with a lover to do the kind thing and let him go (i.e. a prime pop song topic), and the result is something that pretty much every songwriter, pop or not, could take notes from. Listen below.

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