Back in January, Sinéad Harnett hopped onto TikTok to tease a track she had been working on. In typical fashion, at least when examining Harnett’s die-hard base, to which I belong, the breadcrumb kept them up at night. Without any further details, the snippet continued to ripple across the platform.
Now after months of anticipation, the full record has arrived. “Foreign,” co-produced by lophiile and Smile High, is everything indie R&B listeners have come to associate with Harnett.
While Harnett’s breakout record “If You Let Me” continues to be a legal sore spot, “Foreign” has the potential to alleviate that tenderness by eclipsing its success. Although this is a bold claim to make considering the record’s global reach, both songs contain the same DNA. But there is one stark difference. Frankly speaking, “Foreign” is a more refined showing.
Lyrics drenched in sexual curiosity, introspective examination of raw intimacy, and the infantilizing allure of femininity are present on both records.
“Could’ve sworn I knew / Every play, every touch, every move / But you’re giving me something brand new / I wanna learn everything about / You’re something so foreign to me / Please teach / ‘Cause this is ain’t a language I speak / I need your lead / ‘Cause I never been here / I’ve only ever walked the same roads before / But you opened the door / You’re something so foreign to me,” sings Harnett on “Foreign.”
But on “Foreign,” Harnett, vocally, isn’t fighting to be heard. Instead, Harnett’s siren-like vocals, carefully complemented by an intrepid bass line.
“Foreign” offers a supercharged showcase of everything the world has come to love about her artistry. Far too often when a musician attempts to approach the art of yearning, the final product lacks couth. On the other end, it could skew overly sanitized.
Sinéad Harnett’s “Foreign” gets yearning right. The record isn’t overly slimy or borderline sanctified. Instead, it is one of the rare records to flawlessly walk the tightrope of sexual steaminess.
Watch the official Adam Kudeimati-directed visualizer to Sinéad Harnett’s new single “Foreign” below.
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