Welcome back, y'all!
Well, it’s about time! After almost 10 years, No Doubt has finally released new music!
The single “Settle Down” introduces their upcoming album Push and Shove, and to my ears, it sounds like vintage Gwen Stefani and Co. There’s a gentle ska bounce; a nice, big chorus, and those weird vocal things—growls, squeaks, hiccups—that I used to love on No Doubt songs like “Spiderwebs.”
But that’s not to say the song is a retread. The last two minutes, for instance, veer off into a spacey dance place, and overall, there’s a lot of energy in the track. It’s just that “Settle Down” is more “Just a Girl” than “Hollaback Girl,” more “Underneath It All” than “Hey Baby.”
Oh, and in case you’re not into the single’s garish cover art, Popdust feels your pain. They’ve broken down all the reasons it’s gross. But you don’t have to look to listen, right?
Previously: Madonna’s new video for “Turn Up the Radio”
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Mark Blankenship tweets as @IAmBlankenship. He used to own several ska albums.
