To Hell With It

Welcome back to Finetuned, homies! Last week we kept it a bit more smooth and chill. Let’s bring up the tempo a bit! This week is all about PinkPantheress! Let’s jump and jive to some drum & bass from the UK!

Who Are PinkPantheress?

PinkPantheress is a singer from the UK, songwriter, and producer known for her unique blend of nostalgic UK garage, drum and bass, and bedroom pop. She gained most of her popularity through TikTok back in 2021 with viral hits like Just for Me and Break It Off. Her music is characterized by short song lengths, dreamy vocals, and influences from early 2000s electronic and R&B sounds. It really can suit most any vibe you’d want.

Her debut mixtape, To Hell With It (2021) - our rec today, solidified her as a rising star to be entirely honest. Since this release she has collaborated with artists like Ice Spice and Central Cee. PinkPantheress continues to evolve her sound while maintaining her signature melancholic yet danceable style. I am quite excited for more tunes!

What To Expect Sonically

The debut mixtape from PinkPantheress is a genre-blending project that fuses elements of UK garage, drum and bass, 2-step, jungle, and bedroom pop with a lo-fi, nostalgic aesthetic. The record and her music by and large are that classic high tempo snare and kick combined with long bass tones. The album is honestly known for its short song lengths but still keeping that dreamy yet melancholic vocal delivery, and heavy use of sampling from early 2000s music (I love a good sample, fr).

Sound & Influences:

• UK Garage & 2-Step: Tracks like Pain and Passion incorporate shuffling drum beats and syncopated rhythms, reminiscent of classic UK garage acts like Artful Dodger and Craig David. Gotta love syncopation - one of the best things in tunes!

• Drum and Bass/Jungle: Songs like Break It Off feature fast-paced, breakbeat-heavy production, inspired by ‘90s jungle and DnB.

• Bedroom Pop & Hyperpop Sensibilities: The soft, whispery vocals and introspective, romantic lyrics give the mixtape an intimate, DIY feel, similar to Clairo or beabadoobee (rec from another Finetuned!) but with an electronic twist.

• Sampling & Nostalgia: Many tracks sample or interpolate early 2000s songs—Pain, for instance, samples Flowers by Sweet Female Attitude, adding a nostalgic, almost Y2K aesthetic.

Mood & Themes:

• The mixtape explores themes of love, heartbreak, longing, and self-reflection, often with a bittersweet tone. This is really just a common theme in my recs!

• Her ethereal, almost detached vocal style creates a contrast with the upbeat and energetic instrumentals.

• There’s a strong sense of nostalgia, both lyrically and musically, as she taps into sounds that evoke memories of early internet-era music.

Overall, To Hell With It captures a unique sound that merges old-school UK electronic music with modern internet-era aesthetics. It’s a short but impactful mixtape that introduced PinkPantheress as a fresh and innovative voice in alternative pop and electronic music.

Led by Patheress

Get ready to vibe, bob the head at high-tempo, and dance. Genuinely, listen with headphones! You will be able to feel the vibe heavy.

Thanks for reading here, Finetuners! I do hope you all have enjoyed this week’s Finetuned. I’d appreciate any insights, admiration, or otherwise. You can reply to the newsletter directly or DM me on Twitter. (or email me here: [email protected])

Please do share Finetuned with your friends & fam & whoever else! I believe great music should be shared, cherished, and understood from all sorts of perspectives.

See you all in the next one! 🙌