Pop Is Not The Enemy: (this should be more) POPular #2

You know that thing when you hear a song and you can't believe it hasn't been a massive hit? Yeah, that...

The next song in our series of 'how he feck was this not a #1 single??' we come back to the UK. The artist in question is VV Brown, she first came onto the pop scene in 2009 with the rockabilly/retro influenced album 'Travelling Like the Light' and its rather danceable singles 'Crying Blood', 'Leave!', 'Game Over' and the UK top 40 single 'Shark in the Water' (video below).

The summery, catchy 'Shark in the Water' was the only single from the album to chart in the UK, although it did make some waves internationally (#13 in France, #67 US Billboard Hot 100, and #11 US Hot Dance Club Songs), and the parent album went gold in France and charted in the UK and the USA.

Brown went back to the drawing board and recorded a song with Chiddy Bang, 'Children', which was due to be the lead single from her second album 'Lollipops and Politics' and had a nursery rhyme simplicity to it. The chorus firmly lodges itself in your head and will not budge - be warned!

However, numerous delays led to the album eventually being cancelled and replaced by the album that is home to our featured song.

VV Brown released her sophomore album 'Samson & Delilah' in September 2014. A concept album based on the biblical story of the same name. The album showcased a drastic change of musical direction for VV, see the other singles 'Samson' and 'Faith' featuring Kele Okereke of Bloc Party.

The song we're featuring this time was the second single from the album released in August 2014 and was a change of gear in her new sound driving up the BPM. The song is 'The Apple' and was written by Brown and Pascal Gabriel (he's also responsible for LadyHawke's 'My Delerium' which is still a tune!) who also produced it. It's a fizzy, squelchy pop masterpiece that concerns much darker material than the out and out pop of the earlier singles.

"Keep me down,

take my heart.

Hold me captive,

tear me apart."

The song, and it's accompanying video perfectly marry this darker lyrical content with a much stronger visual identity. Enjoy the next '(this should be more) POPular', 'The Apple' by VV Brown.