With cover art like this I was always going to be pretty quick to give Megan Thee Stallions new single a listen. It's such a striking image that wouldn't be out of place marketing a Kanye record in another universe. If it doesn't make you want to listen then you've got no right brain.

As an artist who seems to be on the receiving end of a disproportionate amount of hate online, I've always wanted to like Megan. Especially when, from my perspective at least, she comes across as a genuinely likeable girl in interviews. You can't watch her on her recent Hot Ones interview and not be won over. With all that said I have struggled to find a version of her sound that really clicks with me. Some of the collaborations she has done have been fire, such as Lick with Shenseea and of course, the soundtrack of 2020, WAP by Cardi B. When Megan is one of many ingredients to a track and is there to deliver a couple of killer verses I feel she always add that flavour you expect her to add and does it with the perfect mix of confidence, sexiness and aggression, and sexiness. However her solo work struggles with variety. It's like she has found a gear that she likes and just coasts on that one rather than mixing it up anymore. This problem has meant that her solo collections have only ever really had a first listen from me and unless people have it sitting in the background I don't know how they are get multiple plays.

So on to the new single. Pressurelicious is a collaboration with Future produced by Hitkidd. The beat is sexy and mesmerising with it's foundation being a shaky three note motif repeated through most of the tune. The hi hat is manic which is good, the snare's a little thin which is bad. If we only care about the production and not pay too much attention to the two main acts then I think it's hard to deny that this will be a club hit. This beat is going to make peoples bodies want to rub against other peoples bodies.

Unfortunately, the fun ends there for me and not through lack of trying. Like I said, I want to like Megan Thee Stallion but there's just not enough variation to keep me here. The hook is barely a hook, the verses are disjointed and the split of vocals in the composition is a bit random. Future sounds like he's literally drowning under his reverb but that's nothing new for him I guess so the only criticism I can make to that is it's not my thing. Overall I think this probably works as an album cut surrounded by more exciting material but as a single I don't think it's got enough flesh. If this is supposed to get me excited about Megan's coming album then it's failed unfortunately. It hurts to have to criticise her because there's far too much unjustified criticism out there for this artist but I'm afraid it's a no repeat from me. Thanks anyway Megan and I still love ya!