Emerging New Zealand based music artist has already released a string of singles and a debut album, including Lay with You, her last single release which attracted some major airplay and no doubt added to her ever-growing number of Spotify streams. Her new track Don’t Wait Up is a recognizable blend of snappy pop, dance, and R&B styles, with a similarly familiar production that meets all the requirements of contemporary mainstream pop.
The song begins with a double chorus, the first of which is stripped to its essentials, while the second reveals the big hook, fully fleshed. The verse melodies do a commendable job of creating an anticipatory mood: we know where we’re going by its developing dynamism and by the time the chorus arrives, we are well-acquainted. The melody here is elemental yet manages to survive repetition, with Iris’ vocal performance, her sparky attitude, perhaps the key to this. The lyric’s message is all there, in the title, with its allusion to autonomy and individual freedom.
As Iris has said about Don’t Wait Up, ‘I feel like the temperature of the world definitely could benefit from some uplifting music. All and all, Don’t Wait Up is really about living in the moment, doing things for you. Don’t wait on anybody or for the ‘right’ moment to live your life the way you want it.’
Don’t Wait Up utilises sophisticated vocal parts, sedulous beat programming, and a melodic accessibility to sustain a universal mood and ultimately, a satisfying dance-pop experience. Produced by Charles Lutman and Iris, and mixed by Tyler Scott, the new track incorporates a Latin-flavoured feel cloaked in a dance aesthetic but crowned by a shimmering production and Iris’ bare lyric that showcases an assertive, almost brash tone.
As Iris tells us, ‘I’m just living for the music, for the moment.’
LISTEN TO IRIS HERE:
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