Dark-pop meets sultry R&b on painkiller, an intoxicating ode to the allure of situationships from Bridget O’Shannessy.
Coasting on a slinky R&b groove and adorned in the bouncy synths and rhythmic percussion, painkiller flows like a sultry whisper, a sound only enhanced by Bridget O’Shannessy’s irresistibly rich vocals.
Brooding and groovy in equal measure, painkiller recalls the silky beats and timbres of Tinashe, while incorporating distinct pop flairs.
O’Shannessy flits between genre lines on painkiller, which is at times both pure pop revelry and trap-infused R&b. Dark-pop might be a fitting descriptor for painkiller’s gloomy yet infectious key sections, but O’Shannessy can’t be pinned down by any one sound.
Electronic flairs are littered throughout the track, from the shimmer of panning synths to the dissipating production echoing on the chorus.
While this diversity of sounds makes for an engrossing listen, painkiller is bound by a masterful use of traditional pop structures. Throughout, O’Shannessy utilises the kind of repeated refrains and catchy hooks that ensure the track’s earworm status.
O’Shannessy’s hushed delivery slinks acrobatically around the song’s elastic beats, to the point where you can’t help but want to emulate her seductive cadence.
Sitting firmly within the pop world, there might be a tendency for O’Shannessy to rely on cliched or superficial lyricism. The result on painkiller, however, is the total opposite, as the singer muses on the allure of a romp-fuelled situationship with finesse.
In a similar vein to SZA’s The Weekend, O’Shannessy revels in satisfying her desires with an unnamed fling, while also reflecting on the mind-fuckery that an unlabeled relationship can bring.
So incisive is her storytelling — which sketches images of tear-stained dresses and high-heels — that you’d think painkiller was pulled from the pages of O’Shannessy’s very own diary.
painkiller builds upon what feels like a breakout moment for O’Shannessy, who won the QUBE Effect Award last year and has previously opened shows for Gotye.
Elsewhere, the Brisbane-based singer shared the electro-pop gem Sydney Street last year. With painkiller as evidence and her brother and producer Danny by her side, Bridget O’Shannessy is clearly just getting started.
Listen to the sultry heater that is Bridget O’Shannessy’s new single painkiller below.
