By Michaela Maxey

I’ve loved Sam Smith since I heard him on Disclosure’s song “Latch”, so I was super excited to find out that he released a new track. When I found out it was a collab with Normani, the songstress alongside Khalid in “Love Lies”, I couldn’t wait to hear it and had high expectations for it.

And I can happily announce that all my expectations were met.

The track is nothing short of dance music. It opens with finger snaps over a fuzzy background until Smith sings, then the beat comes into focus and falls into quick and repetitive patterns. Even the lyrics are repetitive, ultimately matching the consistent beat. As Smith sings, “I don’t want to be alone tonight/ It’s pretty clear that I’m not over you”, Normani responds with, “I wasn’t even going out tonight/ But, boy, I need to get you off my mind.” Then they replicate, “I don’t wanna be alone tonight, alone tonight, alone tonight”, making it easy to find the similarities in the lyrics and join in with them. Despite having melancholy lyrics, the beat makes the song so easy to dance to, and there’s so much potential for remixes that the song will easily fit into any club scene. The two later come together in a harmony that is nothing short of masterful. While Smith expertly varies in pitch range, Normani offers smooth and velvety vocals that ultimately balance each other out into perfection.

Although this song is not necessarily revolutionizing in dance music, it’s catchy and solid in its delivery of vocals and beat. Ultimately, the two create an atmosphere that allows any listener to place themselves in the club that Smith and Normani offer – dancing with a stranger in an attempt to forget a certain person.