Pop Star On The Rise Daniel McCarthy Brings On The Sugar With "She Looked Like You"
Published
She Looked Like You (Single)
Daniel McCarthy
Ok so intro blurb first: Daniel McCarthy is a young London based pop hopeful on the rise who has, rather impressively (along with other young singers) contributed vocals on Madonna’s iconic ‘Madame X’ album (as you’ll see flagged on his Instagram.) Not a bad start at all for a pop hopeful. Maybe you would regard this as fortuitous or a ‘good omen’- and you may well be right as we consider Daniel’s new single “She Looked Like You”: out now across all the usual download and streaming places.
“She Looked Like You” is your archetypal “paint by numbers” pop choon: catchy and pop-tastic in both lyrics and melody as this young up and coming musician explores the boundaries, and indeed politics, of young love. His portrayal of young love gone wrong is rather sweet, naive and unjaded (I’m sure that may come later as he progresses into his life and career). For now, it is a sweet, playfully poppy, catchy song wrapped up in well-matched synthy retro trappings (both in form and the video to accompany it), with an undeniably punchy hook you can bop to.
The video is reminiscent of a break-up scene in a teen TV show like Gossip Girl or similar (hell, I’m old- whatever the latest teen thang is…) set in a 50’s style diner where all the playful relationship misunderstandings take place. Boy gets dumped by a girl he really likes, but he is too proud to beg for a second chance. So, he starts dating a 'lookalike' – it all gets a tad hairy for a moment, but the girlfriend comes round and it’s kind of “All’s Well That Ends Well” kinda thing.
Apparently, Daniel wrote the track during a dark time in his family’s life and also during lockdown so you can understand he would want to counteract the darkness with an upbeat version of well-known theme of love lost and ‘maybe found’ again. There is nothing like a teenage tale of love’s labours to provide more sugar than an entire bag of Tate n Lyle. It’s all good, especially in these weird times.
Even the ending of the track (as with the video concept) leaves us on a hopeful high that the young lovers patch things up. Awww! You want a feel good, undemanding track to make you singalong and smile? This is it. Recommend. Oh, and watch out for Daniel McCarthy…
