On her debut album, King Princess established herself as a new alt-pop/pop-rock icon — but with her latest string of singles, she’s trying something else entirely. “Pain,” for example, employs some of the star’s best tactics: a grooving bass line, her top-notch vocals, and much more. But added in are some key dance signifiers — a smashing 808 beat, a few production breakdowns, and much more. It makes for one of her most interesting tracks yet, as King Princess straddles the line between dance and rock effortlessly.
“It’s probably my favorite song I’ve ever written,” she told Apple Music’s Zane Lowe of the new track. “It makes me so happy when I listened to it. I haven’t gotten sick of it … I think what I love about it is it’s got that f–king piano. It’s the ultimate George Michael-meets-Erotica-era Madonna-meets- an incredible remix if you’re in a gay club that makes you uncomfortable and horny.”