“… and then the voice, just over a minute in Lily sashays in, and we know we’re in good hands”

It’s the details that count. In creating a mood, setting a frame, building expectations. That’s present both in the theme of Lily’s song, and the way it accomplishes that intent with aching precision. She’s singing about that point we can so easily feel our way into – of a lover coming round, the prospect of emotion underlying physical pleasure being released, and the excitement and trepidation about all of that.

Those details? The piano intro. 18 seconds of sophisticated bliss accompanied by some light electronics before wordless vocals and then a rhythm and strings drop in. Then – the voice. Just over a minute in, Lily sashays in accompanied by an expertly played bass, and we know we’re in good hands. Arms even, as the lyric has it.

That foundation of bass and voice anchors the song from there, an emotional core which allows giddy electronics to spark as Lily contemplates her love, what it is, what it could be, what that might mean. This is sophisto-pop of a rare calibre, one that could only be delivered by a singer who truly knows her way around a song. And the flow with music is a delight, both timeless in ways that go back to Ella Fitzgerald, and more contemporary – bringing Olive’s ‘You’re Not Alone’ to mind.

Words and music by the blessed Billie Reid. That boy can write convincing songs in any form you care to mention, perhaps because his starting point is what feels true. And that’s what allows Lily to take those words and soar. Take her hand. Go with her. 

Charlie Reynolds