We already know what the name Xenomania implies: Girls Aloud. Kylie Minogue. Mini Viva. Rachel Stevens.
Accordingly, it should come as no surprise that “You Bring Me Joy,” the Xenomania-produced debut single for X Factor UK Season 8 finalist Amelia Lily, is 110% incredible.
The best part of “You Bring Me Joy”–is, well, everything: The verses are amazing. The striding beat is amazing. The lyrics are amazing. Lily’s bold, rock-tinged voice–which sits somewhere between Katy Perry, Miley Cyrus and The Veronicas–is amazing. The pause before the chorus is amazing. And the actual chorus–a jaw-dropping bliss-fest of soaring synthesizers and stunning melodies–is on par with the Almighty Aloud’s “Call The Shots.” (Alex Gardner‘s “I’m Not Mad” also comes to mind.)
“You bring me joy/You bring me sadness/So you bring the love, so forget all the madness,” the 18-year-old songstress croons on repeat. Forget the fact that much of the song is one monotone note–“You Bring Me Joy” is pop perfection, an instant favorite of the year, and proof that Xenomania still have that magic pop touch. (“One Touch,” if you will. RIP MV.)
Between this and fellow finalist Misha B‘s “Home Run” (I’m still not here for Little Mix‘s “Wings,” sorry), it’s beginning to look like the graduating class of X Factor UK Season 8 might just be the most compelling since–well, Season 7.
EDIT: The full single version has leaked. And impossibly, it’s about 500x even more amazing than the radio rip. The song has been slightly slowed down (in a solid, less frantic way), the intro has been filled out with a chilly guitar strum, and the bridge added at the end–featuring some incredible soaring vocals (“Maybe we were built to last/And we’re strong enough to break the past!”)–takes the song to another level.
It’s truly one of my favorite songs of 2012.
“You Bring Me Joy” will be released on August 26.