Sky Ferreira is cool. Like, really cool. And not just because Pitchfork debuted her latest video, she's been in campaigns for Calvin Klein, is friends with all the right people and because she's photographed by Terry Richardson as much as I eat toast (i.e. A LOT). She's cool because she's slowly but surely building a stark, moody presence as a popstar that she wants to be as opposed to some sort of faux-trendy bubblegum type. Not there's anything wrong with bubblegum (I've had Carly Rae Jepsen's frothy magnum-opus Kiss on loop the last two weeks) but it clearly was never going to work for Sky and finally we're inching towards where she wants us to see her.
There's been Youtube buzz and bloggers harping on about Miss Ferreira for years now between her perfectly pitched covers and her occassional singles (everything from the underrated electro-pop of One to the Katy Perry-esque tune shes publicly derided Obsession), an EP (the sharp and entertaining As If!) and promises about a much-delayed debut album. That debut, Wild Heart, is still awhile off it seems but Ferreira is ploughing ahead with some impressive new material. There was Red Lips a couple of months back, a co-write with Shirley Mason, all scuzzy grunge pop charm. Then Everything Is Embarrassing appeared a few weeks back, a moody yet earworm-y 80s number with a lovely sense of melancholy brought to life perfectly by Ferreira's husky yet delicate vocals. It's like a slightly more sprightly pop-driven take on the kind of 80s referencing-but-contemporary electronica Jessie Ware uses in spades on her debut album Devotion.
The video has just arrived and it's a pared back but perfect affair. Black and white and sparesly shot it lets Ferreira put on a performance that's equal parts come-hither and sad-eyes, her washed out blonde tresses and black ensemble giving her the vibe of a 90s super-model off-duty (only I guess, shorter. Sorry Sky.) The clip isn't unlike the one Azealia Banks gave us for Luxury last week, lo-fi, rippling with 90s references but using that simplicity to it's advantage. Without having to do too much this does the job of a truly great pop video, it lets the song come to life and give added impact to the message of the tune. And it lets their performer look really, really cool, something Sky excels at.
According to Pitchfork the EP Ghost will be out in October (check out their post for tracklisting and those involved with the project). It's fun watching Ferreira finally get closer to the kind of pop music she wants to make, at the moment there's more than a little Fiona Apple in her DNA which sits nicely beside her frequent references to being a big Britney fan. Also if you haven't read the excellent interview she gave with Rookie mag earlier in the year, do so immediately. It's fascinating stuff.
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