We weren’t entirely sure how Hilary Duff would respond to losing “Boom Clap” — apparently Charli XCX had originally written the Fault In Our Stars hit for the former Lizzie McGuire, only to have her “people” reject the song because it wasn’t “cool” enough.
Well then, what is cool?
How about getting Swedish electro-pop star Tove Lo to co-write your new song; have it be produced by Bloodshy (he of Britney Spears’ “Toxic” and a day job of being Christian Karlsson of Miike Snow); and making it sound like the best Kylie Minogue jam in years?
Oh, and add some motherfucking whistling.
Well shit, that all works for us.
Duff dropped electric new single “Sparks” today, and if it’s any indication, her first new album in seven years should be dynamite.
“The album has taken on a lot of different lives, which I guess is to be expected when you’ve taken such big break,” Duff tells TIME, via Nylon. “It is a little bit of electro-pop, a lot of it is just straight-forward pop and some of it has gotten pretty dance-y, which is cool. Some songs still have a little bit of a folky side.”
There may never be another “Boom Clap,” but this is a good start to get Duff back in the game.