Rapid Review.. Ellie Goulding - 'Hanging On' feat. Tinie Tempah

Slightly late on the uptake (again!), this one managed to slip me by! As an Ellie Goulding fan, I'm a tad a shamed to say that I had absolutely no idea that she had a new song/single out.

'Hanging On', a cover of a song by Active Child, enters with a harp and Goulding's ethereal tones, before becoming slightly more electronic, reminding me somewhat of Patrick Wolf's signiature delicate blend of folk and synth, until a deep underlying bass enters and turns the gentle atmosphere on its head. This is especially reinforced by the time Tinie Tempah's contribution comes around. Don't get me wrong, I'm not a person who pans rap/hip hop/pop rap 100% of the time, but there's something predictable about rapper features, it's old game, and this song would have been perfect without his efforts. On the opposite note, the song is at its most ominous during Tinie Tempah's speak/rap, weaving into Goulding's voice which is, as always, is in tip top beautiful condition.

The song, talking about a painful deterioration of a relationship, is also clearly musically influenced by the dubstep sounds of her current boyfriend, Skrillex, whose signiature sound can be heard at times. This could easily have been quite a disaster, but with this fresher new electronic path, I really can't wait for Goulding's album to come out. Alongside fellow Brit and newcomer, Charli XCX, I really feel that she will be defining a female indie/electronic sound that has the potential to cross over to the charts.

The song is currently available as a FREE(!) download via a link on her Soundcloud.

'Anything Could Happen', the first single from her second album, is out 20th September.

Her album, Halcyon, will be released 8th October.

http://elliegoulding.com/
https://twitter.com/elliegoulding/
http://www.facebook.com/elliegoulding