Zara Larsson is emphatically fierce in her latest single, ‘Look What You’ve Done.’ The infectious melody will immediately grasp you and immerse you within its celebratory but slightly wistful atmosphere. Zara has had a lot of success in embedding eighties-themed disco-pop sounds into her tracks, where she usually pairs a modern verve with an intoxicating, devil-may-care attitude.

This particular track opens with a soaring symphony of strings that come through rapidly with so much energy that you barely have a moment to relish their chaotic run. But soon, the melody kicks in, and Zara’s pure, thoughtful vocals take over and lead you into the magnetic chorus. 

The composition is pure feeling, from the snaps in the background providing a sense of solidarity to the upbeat percussion establishing a bittersweet mood, where the jubilance of the fast-paced tempo only presages the emotional collapse that is to follow. The double-edged sword of such a house style is how it revs you up for an exhilarating high but also sets you up for wistfulness wrapped in abandon. Metaphors aside, the songwriting is stellar, with the strings once again emerging with a groove that will force you to your feet and send your hips shaking. 

There is nothing over-the-top about the production, but the drum and bass work in conjunction to retain a dynamic, spirited air that only gets stronger and stronger throughout the tune. It invokes the imagery of pink stilettos and highball glasses flowing with champagne, of women drowning their emotions in the cacophony of disco, dancing the night away with no sense of regret. Quite fitting, the lyrics detail precisely that: of Zara licking her wounds following a break-up and deciding to march to the beat of her drum. 

The central chorus line is so catchy that the song doesn’t really need a bridge, but it inserts one anyway. A slowed-down section that allows Zara to showcase her sparkling vocals once again, but thankfully it returns to the most breathtaking part of the song that is the chorus. She’s been floating around with a few forgettable for the last few years, but with ‘Look What You’ve Done,’ Zara has returned to the same thrills that catapulted her to fame in the first place. 

Author: Shaoni Das

Shaoni Das is a writer/editor currently based in Edmonton, Canada. She remains eager to inspect how the changing culture of music impacts upon the greater world.