We need to talk about ‘Wave’ by Meghan Trainor

After a run of basic AF singles, Meghan Trainor resurrects her moribund album campaign with icy electro bop ‘Wave’.

Is there a popstar working today with less edge than Meghan Trainor? In September, she treated fans to a cover of the Friends theme tune, and to the best of my knowledge, she’s one of the few artists to promote a single by unveiling an official Zumba® choreography video. Such white nonsense is to be expected from Meghan. Genuinely good pop songs like ‘Wave’ are not. 

For the uninitiated, the 25-year-old found unfathomable success halfway through the decade with a saccharin formula of 60s doo-wop and skin-deep feminism. Hummable hits like ‘All About That Bass’ may have netted her a Best New Artist Grammy, but in a post-Lizzo world, her work comes off as aggressively basic. A much-delayed third album Treat Myself had its January 2019 release date wiped when none of its four singles caught on. 

So what now for Mrs. Daryl Sabara AKA The Boy From Spy Kids? If her new single is any indication, the singer has opened herself up to the icy, drip-fed pleasures of scandipop. In true Tove Lo fashion, ‘Wave’ starts off sparse and ethereal, gradually adding layers of pulsing electronica, gospel choirs, and an unusual sitar-banjo flourish to form a majestic love song. 

Watch Meghan recreate Kylie’s ‘All The Lovers’ on a budget in the ‘Wave’ music video below: