According to reports, Charli XCX spent time in the studio earlier this year, working on one of Britney’s new songs. With the guidance and support of the iconic pop star, Charli XCX crafted a powerful and captivating track that is likely to make it onto the album. A source for the sun revealed, “Charli has a proven track record of writing clever pop songs. She collaborated with Britney earlier this year, and they have created something truly remarkable.”

@fckyeahcharli Replying to @nicky @Charli XCX playing Mind Your Business by Britney Spears & Will.I.Am @Britney Spears #charlixcx #britneyspears #pcmusic #agcook #charli #britney #mindyourbusiness ♬ original sound – CHARLI XCX UPDATES

This exciting collaboration comes on the heels of Britney’s recent musical ventures. Last year, she featured in a song titled “Mind Your Business” with fellow superstars will.i.am and Elton John’s “Hold Me Closer.” Notably, Britney and will.i.am previously worked together in 2012 on the hit single “Scream & Shout,” which showcased Britney singing with a distinct British accent. The dance-pop track was a massive success, selling over 3 million copies in the USA alone and reaching number one on nearly 30 charts worldwide, including the UK.

Britney’s temporary hiatus from music was due to her legal battle to be released from a controversial 13-year conservatorship, which finally came to an end in November 2021. Now, with her freedom restored, Britney is ready to reclaim her rightful place in the music industry.

Charli XCX has also made a name for herself in the music industry since signing with Asylum Records in 2010. She gained prominence with her collaboration with Icona Pop on the international hit “I Love It.” The talented singer-songwriter has worked with renowned artists such as Selena Gomez, Raye, Blondie, Gwen Stefani, and notably, Shawn Mendes.

Fans of both Britney Spears and Charli XCX can look forward to an incredible musical collaboration that is sure to captivate audiences worldwide. With their combined talent and creativity, the upcoming album is bound to be a sensational success when it hits the airwaves in 2024.

Their new track is the first release from the trio since lauded 2021 album, Screen Violence and will run as a supporting act for Coldplay in South America. This year will also mark a new chapter for the trio, as it will be the 10th anniversary of their debut album, The Bones Of What You Believe, in September.

OVER IS OUT NOW

We finished this song over the holidays and the way it explores themes of trying to exist in an escapist dreamscape when life is difficult felt timely so we didn't want to wait to put it out.

Listen here: https://t.co/1CyCiNCFKp pic.twitter.com/wdzrc8FbIR

— CHVRCHES (@CHVRCHES) February 24, 2023

“Over” is a high-energy track that highlights the band’s ability to craft an earworm. Singer, Lauren Mayberry’s hush-toned vocals was able to guide the listener along a melodic journey, as the group’s electronic production and synth-laden arrangement keeps the song driving forward.

Oscar Holter was the main producer CHVRCHES worked with behind this single and their collaboration ceased out of their Screen Violence era, racing towards something completely new and unexplored. The band commented, “Over is a song that we wrote with Oscar Holter, a producer we really respect and admire. Normally we collect songs over the course of months (or years!) until we have an album’s worth of material, but this time we just wanted to release something we were excited about and give the fans something new to mark the ‘Screen Violence era and the start of whatever the next CHVRCHES chapter might be.”  

The lyrics are an existential exploration of the idea that “no matter what, we’re still here.” The chorus, “we’ll never be over,” repeated throughout the single, which is served to remind the listener that hoping for the best is the way to go, even in the darkest of times.

.@CHVRCHES are back!! Their new single 'Over' is out now https://t.co/LcN2iXCoTw pic.twitter.com/uH1XAB1Kry

— EMI (@emirecords) February 24, 2023

The music video for “Over” was released alongside the songs’ streaming debut. It was also in the same place for the first time since their 2018 album, Love Is Dead. It features the band performing in a post-apocalyptic world, surrounded by snow and ruins. The visuals accompany the uplifting themes of the song and effectively encouraged viewers to hold on to hope in the face of despair.

All in all, “Over” is a powerful and emotionally resonant track that fully displays the band’s talent. It’s an inspiring reminder that no matter what life throws our way, we’ll never be over.

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A post shared by Dave Rowntree (@davidrowntree)

The 58-year-old artist has spoken on his new haunting song, “When I was in my early 20s, in Colchester, I would start to see the number 126 everywhere. I lived at a house that was 126, I’d get a bus that was 126. It felt to me that the universe was trying to alert my attention to 126 for some reason, even though the rational part of me knew that that was b*******.”

Rowntree continues to discuss the track’s inspiration, “So, ‘London Bridge’ was one of those. Things just started happening when I was near London Bridge, or going past on the bus, or on the tube going underneath London Bridge. I would just notice events occurring, and it was slightly unsettling. I had to confront my London Bridge demons and that’s what the song is about.”

The artist continued to discuss his new solo career, “I’m really excited to release my first single as a solo artist. It’s from a body of work that I’ve been putting together over the last couple of years, and I’m humbled to be releasing it on the legendary Cooking Vinyl label.”

Fellow Blur bandmember Damon Albarn previously gave an interview which set the rumour mill into motion when he alluded to a possible union. The Britpop icons last toured together in 2015 when they embarked on a concert series in support of The Magic Whip, the band’s comeback album was released in 2015 and was their first release in twelve years. However, the group have reunited prior, in 2019 the “Parklife” band performed live in Albarn’s hometown of Leytonstone.

Within the discussion, Albarn was asked if this was the end of Blur, the singer replied, “Not At All”. The Gorillaz co-founder continued to discuss the band’s future, “I am just about to have a conversation with people about Blur and I would love to sing all those songs again. I miss the songs. I miss playing with Blur.”

Guitarist Graham Coxon has also spoken about a possible reunion, “That’s always been the thing with Blur – they’ll do it when they really need to and not for any other reason. It doesn’t really seem genuine to just get back together and just do gigs for a bit of spondage. We need to have some sort of focus for how we would work.”

“London Bridge” has been released across all major streaming services and serves as the first taste of Rowntree’s upcoming album.  Although the artist’s hotly anticipated album has yet to be given a release date, fans are eager to hear the rest of Rowntree’s solo material.

Bez took to his Instagram to announce the release to fans, the post also supplied a snippet of the psychedelic video and track featuring the dancer and percussionist’s debut vocal performance.

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A post shared by Bez (@bezmondays)

The new release is the first track in which includes a traditional vocal appearance from Bez and also features vocals from Firouzeh. Previously known for his maraca playing and famed interactive stage antics, it is exciting news for fans old and new to hear Bez take centre stage. The press release for the new track has provided the following description, “hypnotic homage to the glory days of acid house“.

The track seems to serve as a dedication to the Second Summer of Love, the cultural phenomenon which took the United Kingdom by storm within the late 1980s, most predominately the summer of 1988. The cultural wave saw the rise in popularity of acid house, electronic dance music and the rave scene, fuelled by certain drug influences such as MDMA, the psychedelic and hedonistic scene was particularly taken upon by the nation’s youth. With these factors mixed together, this new musical philosophy embodied itself within the ideologies of freedom, pleasure and indulgence.

It is this sense of freedom in which ‘Flying Bus’ sets out to embody and along with a nostalgic wish for the past, Bez, DJ Doorly and Firouzeh are determined to take the listener back to their youth, full of fun and parties. Bez’s vocal line tells the story of the iconic Glastonbury stage Flying Bus, which is said to be the most rambunctious and often the last to close with parties going on until the early morning and the inspiration behind the song’s title

The accompanying music video also keeps within these cultural themes, the video sees Bez play a colourful bus conductor with DJ Doorly as the magical Bus’s driver. Again, staying within the theme of the 1980’s cultural and music scene, a passenger seemingly dragged down by the burdens of corporate life is taken to the legendary nightclub and music venue, The Hacienda. The Hacienda became a vital part of the dance and rave scene within the 1980s, situated in Manchester, the club became an important role within the career of Happy Mondays and many other bands involved within the genre. The new release’s music video sees Bez and DJ Doorly work with fellow Manchester artists and animators, Friend Party Studios.

The description affixed to the new release’s promo and its music video gives the video’s storyboard and the emotions it aims to conveys: “An office worker’s day gets off to a bad start after being stung by a psychedelic bee, but things get even more trippy when the Flying Bus pulls up. Bus conductor Bez and bus driver Doorly take our hapless hero on an adventure like no other, as he discovers a world of trippy visuals and pure party excess, ending up on the dancefloor of the iconic Manchester club The Haçienda. There’s only one thing to do: free your mind and take a one-way ticket on the Flying Bus!”

The Bolton born cultural personality has provided the following statement concerning his recent collaboration, reinforcing the song’s musical and lyrical themes. “It was a brilliant work trip to Ibiza to collaborate with Doorly at his studio that created this tune, My Flying Bus stage at Glastonbury is really special to me and a great hangout for the hardcore party people. I’ve been missing it so much and this track conjures up that Flying Bus magic. The song is about that freedom you feel when you’re gathered with like-minded people. This is the first vocal track I’ve ever brought out and I’m nervous and excited at the same time. I hope people will get ‘on the bus’ and enjoy it, get lost in a moment in time, that’s the whole vibe!”

DJ Doorly has also spoken about the experience working with Bez and what fans can expect next from the duo. “Writing a track together with the legend Bez was a hell of a lot of fun, not sure if you’ve met him but he’s a bit of a character, We really bonded over our shared love for the transatlantic Acid House movement from the late 80s/early 90s. Our aim was to bring a slice of that magic coming out of Chicago and Manchester around that time, with a celebration of Bez’s bonkers Flying Bus party at Glastonbury. It all came together and it’s a real pleasure to have Bez on my Reptile Dysfunction label, you can expect more from us both this year.”

As well as the promise for even more material, Bez and DJ Doorly have been confirmed to embark on a tour jammed full of dates this Summer. Fans can now also catch Bez on YouTube, since the lockdown this year the performer has started a new career path as a fitness advisor. His courses and workshops can be found as online fitness videos on the channel Spoke TV, entitled ‘Get Buzzin’ With Bez‘.

Click here to purchase and stream the track.

Unfortunately, you’ll have to wait a little longer to truly appreciate Romy’s banger, because it’s practically begging to be played in a club. This total burst of energy is certainly reminiscent of some of the major 90s dance-floor fillers – and also, I would point out, an eighties synth vibe of the Tears For Fears variety. To me it also has just a twinkle of ‘Life In A Northern Town’ about it. What I’m saying is, if ‘Lifetime’ had come on at the eighties night at university, it would hardly have been out of place.

Romy wants us to understand that dance hits are important to her, from the eighties to the Ibiza scene; she wrote on social media, “I’ve always loved club classics that unite a room, big emotional dance songs, that you can sing along to as well. I’m excited to have the opportunity to show my love for dance music with ‘Lifetime’.

She added with a bittersweet note, “I loved working with a very talented and inspiring group of people on this song, thank you so much Fred again, Marta Salogni, Joy Anonymous and Jamie xx. I had dreamt that we could be dancing in a room together to this song by now, but until then I hope you can dance to it wherever you are!”

Afterwards I’ll be premiering the lyric video on YouTube at 6:45pm BSThttps://t.co/bdGeQDzGpu

— Romy (@romyromyromy) September 28, 2020

Beneath its catchy, neon, dance surface, ‘Lifetime’ is wrestling with greater concepts of time and making the most of everything. “Once in a lifetime / something matters,” Romy declares as the music falls away and we are suspended in the moment, thinking about how special everything is. She has spoken about the song wanting “to appreciate the moment before its gone”.

We’re all familiar with this urge these days, and Romy is clear that the moment could be anything, from a huge night out to a quiet moment with your loved ones – “simple moments of togetherness, meant the most to me,” she began to realise during the pandemic. But it also feels like the perfect sentiment for those few minutes on the dance floor where you’re having the time of your life and its all lights and colours and you don’t know what the time is or how long you’ve been there. Inevitably, clubbing can’t sustain that perfect haze for very long, but the stars might just align for three minutes when you hear ‘Lifetime’ on the dancefloor for the first time.