
Punk-pop’s new it-girl UPSAHL returns with "Lunatic"
The latest of a steady slew of singles, “Lunatic” sees UPSAHL powerfully reclaiming the ‘psycho ex’ trope for her own.
The buzz around UPSAHL (the punchy moniker of Arizona songwriter Taylor Upsahl) has been growing steadily since her breakthrough back in 2019, with viral success pretty much uninterrupted by a global pandemic – but even with 2020 being such a good year for her, she's striving to keep the momentum with her new tune. "Lunatic" joins the singles "Melatonin," "Douchebag," and "Time Of My Life" in the lead-up to her debut album, cementing UPSAHL’s rep as a take-no-shit star.
She already boasts writing credits with acts from Dua Lipa, Little Mix and Madison Beer to iann dior and Mike Shinoda; the pop and alternative world have well and truly welcomed her in with open arms, and she’s gearing up to dominate. But it's undeniable that she sizzles the most on her own tracks.
Atop an instrumental that’s the cross-section of a night spent on the dancefloor and a buzz that sounds suspiciously like the alarm clock the morning after, UPSAHL couldn’t be more unapologetic on "Lunatic". Take her on if you dare, because as she reclaims the 'psycho ex' trope her lyrics are laden with sharpness and savagery, and her delivery reminds you that she’s totally unbothered by it.
“The day I wrote Lunatic, I was having such a shit day that I almost didn’t show up to the studio" shares UPSAHL. "I ended up going in pajamas, no makeup, angry as fuck at the world. I walked into the studio and started venting about the whole situation to Jonny and Will (co-writers), and I just kind of ended up going into the vocal booth and screaming into the mic. I feel like people are so scared of being the “crazy ex,” but sometimes you kind of just want to go fucking crazy. This song is owning that.”
Cheeky, gritty, and effortless, "Lunatic" restrains itself during the verses just to go off with a bigger bang when UPSAHL kicks into the chorus. It’s absolutely dancefloor ready and a sparkling slice of UPSAHL’s best, so prepare yourselves for her to take on the UK this October.
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