Garrix and Lipa make an undoubtedly fearsome pop force, however the resulting track is unfortunately lacklustre.
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Still only 20, super-producer Martin Garrix can make any university student question their life choices. Following the global success of ‘Animals’ in 2013 has been a string of other hits, both of the club-oriented and radio-tailored varieties, and the prospect of a teamup with unstoppable pop sensation and Edge favourite Dua Lipa is one of the most enticing of this young year.
By beautifully pairing cold orchestral synths with Lipa’s moody vocal, ‘Scared To Be Lonely’ carries a really subtle but powerful energy that certainly feels strong despite not quite being hands-in-the-air material. It’s unsurprisingly cool and modern, closely observing the recent trend of preferring weird and wacky sounds to a more traditional, repetitive house beat.
Yet, despite its great potential it feels that the track builds to a deflated attempt at an immense chorus, which matches the sombre tone of the lyrics in a clever but bittersweet fashion. It’s just too subtle – in a track engineered otherwise for everywhere from your car radio to the Ultra main stage, there’s no obvious time at which to jump up and down and flail your arms (or do whatever it is that Garrix does during performances). There’s no point to it, no climax, no iconic event.
Like any good contemporary pop fan, I can’t help but be pleased to see Garrix working his way through a succession of well established vocalists – ‘In The Name Of Love,’ the Bebe Rexha collaboration of last summer that preceded seven club cuts in seven days, is still a regularly played hit, and there is no doubting Lipa’s abilities here or anywhere. However, ‘Scared To Be Lonely’ just feels scared to pack a punch. After all, isn’t dance music about energy and happiness and honestly just being a little bit overexcited?
‘Scared to Be Lonely’ is out now via STMPD
