Time for a sweet surprise.
Goth-pop Tumblrwave princess Charli XCX, who put out one of our favorite albums of 2013 so far, is heading out on a North American tour in May with Queen Marina + The Diamonds, who put out one of our favorite albums of 2012. Evidently, they’ve been spending some time with each other in the recording studio—and the kitchen, it seems.
Today, the twosome whipped up a collaboration: “Just Desserts” — a previously leaked Marina demo called “The Other Foot,” now reworked with Charli as a vengeful slice of blood, guts and chocolate cake.
“Heartbreak’s hard when you don’t have a plastic heart/You sucked me in through the cinnamon stars,” Charli growls above a twinkling beat, creepy echoes and hard, crunchy beats. Marina swoops in for the assist in the chorus, layering her almighty crooning on top of swirls of atmospheric sound: “Karma came around like I knew it would, and it feels so good when the shoe is put on the other foot,” she snarls. It’s a pretty solid blend of their styles—a little bit of gritty and gloomy electronica, a little theatricality, and a whole lot of confectionary imagery. (Thanks, girls—I’m hungry now.)
It’s sort of like Kelly Clarkson and Tamyra Gray‘s iconic “You Thought Wrong,” except more moody and sadistic.
Care for a taste? Go on—take a bite. (Also, it’s free.)
And while you’re at it, check out the tour dates for Marina & Charli’s North American Tour.
May 2 – Seattle, WA – Showbox SoDo (Marina only)
May 3 – Vancouver, BC – Commodore Ballroom (Marina only)
May 4 – Portland, OR – Wonder Ballroom (Marina only)
May 6 – San Francisco, CA – The Warfield
May 7 – Santa Ana, CA – Observatory
May 9 – Las Vegas, NV – Boulevard Pool at the Cosmopolitan (Marina only)
May 10 – San Diego, CA – House of Blues
May 11 – Los Angeles, CA – Shrine Exposition Center
May 12 – Las Vegas, NV – LAVO Nightclub (Charli only)
May 13 – Salt Lake City, UT – Club Sound
May 14 – Englewood, CO – The Gothic Theatre
May 16 – Lawrence, KS – The Granada
May 17 – St. Louis, MO – The Pageant
May 19 – Minneapolis, MN – Skyway Theater
May 20 – Chicago, IL – Riviera Theater
May 22 – Detroit, MI – St. Andrews Hall
May 23 – Toronto, ON – Sound Academy
May 24 – Montreal, QC – Metropolis
May 28 – Pittsburgh, PA – Stage AE
May 29 – New York, NY – Central Park SummerStage @ Rumsey Playfield
May 31 – Brooklyn, NY – Glasslands (Charli headline)
June 1 – Philadelphia, PA – Union Transfer (Charli headline)
June 3 – Washington, DC – U Street Music Hall (Charli headline)
June 4 – Norfolk, VA – The NorVa (Charli headline)
June 6 – Orlando, FL – The Social (Charli headline)
June 8 – Miami, FL – Grand Central Miami (Charli headline)
June 10 – Charlotte, NC – Visulite Theatre (Charli headline)
June 12 – Indianapolis, IN – Deluxe @ Old National Centre (Charli headline)
June 13-16 – Manchester, TN – Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival (Charli only)