While most of Irish singer-songwriter Róisín Murphy’s recent singles from upcoming album Hit Parade have found themselves invested in breezy, big band disco-funk, You Knew positions itself firmly in electronica. Helmed by Hit Parade’s executive producer and Murphy’s frequent collaborator DJ Koze, You Knew makes use of Koze’s instinct for immersive and sumptuous house.
By all accounts a slow burn, You knew unfurls over seven minutes, growing gradually from a textured 4/4 pulse into a smooth and languid minimal house opus. Over Koze’s sonics, Murphy’s voice switches between spoken word and vocoded crooning, with hooks like “extra, read all about it!” being fused with the thrum of the synths themselves. You Knew is a slick and stirring lament to an ex-lover, coming in waves of carefully calibrated electronics that are as melancholic as they are propulsive.
