SINGLE REVIEW: Beth McKenzie – Don’t Tell My Boyfriend

’…indicative of an artist that has their finger firmly on not just the musical trends, but the cultural zeitgeist…’

You will be hard pressed to find a singer songwriter who has worked as hard as Beth McKenzie to nail what it means to be a pop singer. Their understanding of pop culture is clear in their social media interactions, and the way she has been able to conjure up hype is deeply impressive. That hype is well worth believing, as McKenzie’s latest track, ‘Don’t Tell My Boyfriend’, places her firmly at the front of the next wave of pop artists.

Simple, bedroom-pop acoustics are layered over subtly punchy beats that snag your attention immediately. The choruses, however, are where McKenzie truly shines; the melody is simple yet powerfully infectious, draped with layers of vocal harmonies and subtle synths, giving the whole affair a 90’s flair. Truly, in all of the best ways, you could truly imagine this on the soundtrack to your favourite romcom.

That isn’t to say that McKenzie doesn’t provide a substantial performance however; if anything, her capacity to portray herself as knowingly walking into trouble yet finding herself unable to resist doing so elevates the track to an entirely new level.

There is a real tenderness and warmth to McKenzie’s voice that perfect pulls out the themes of sapphic love and romantic betrayal from within the track; there’s an acute awareness that pursuing somebody taken is wrong and will only lead to hurt, but a real sense that this affection is something truly meaningful for McKenzie.

Pop is inevitably always a crowded field by its very nature; to stand out it requires not only good performances and songwriting, but a certain energy that is difficult to truly define. McKenzie has that star quality, and ‘Don’t Tell My Boyfriend’ is indicative of an artist that has their finger firmly on not just the musical trends, but the cultural zeitgeist. I suspect you’ll be seeing her name in lights very soon.

For Fans Of: Sabrina Carpenter, Chappell Roan, Natasha Bedingfield, Dove Cameron, Carly Rae Jepsen

Featured photo credit belongs to @elliebeemcr.

Follow the artist on social media below:

Instagram // Spotify // Twitter