O O O O o-o-o.

 

Vocal hooks have gotten pretty popular in the past couple of years. Yet none have used them as effectively as Emma Jensen, whose latest single Closer is both hauntingly mesmerising and nightmarishly repetitive.

You don’t really need to listen much beyond the first few seconds to understand the power of Jensen’s voice. The opening melody, which is also the main hook of the song, is a vocal sample of Jensen simply going “oh”. It’s very simple, but upsettingly effective. In fact, Jensen’s voice is more or less the only tangible aspect of this song to make an impact. Each instrument is dampened and reserved, as if it is whispering underneath the gentle vocal lines. Even with a controlled guitar solo interrupting proceedings — which is always something to be grateful for, since the guitar solo has been woefully underused in the past decade — this track manages to be probably the closest pop will get to being a capella any time soon.

Like it or not, this song will be playing on repeat in your head for the next 24–72 hours.