To say that PinkPantheress has had a successful 2023 would be an understatement. She’s collaborated with the likes of Troy Sivan, Destroy Lonely, Skrillex, Trippie Redd, and Ice Spice, with whom she released her most successful song to date, “Boy’s A Liar Pt.2,” which not only peaked at No. 3 on the Billboard 200 but also earned her her first platinum record in both the UK and America. While these collaborations have propelled her to stratospheric levels of success, she has remained true to her original sound, refusing to compromise for the sake of rapid success. This dedication to her unique style is evident in her latest single, “Mosquito.”

Produced by Pantheress herself, alongside Mura Masa, who was also behind “Boy’s A Liar,” and heavyweight in the music world, Greg Kurstin, known for his work with artists like Lily Allen, Adele, Sia, and most recently Gorillaz. Even with these highly influential producers, the single maintains the trademark PinkPantheress sound, albeit slightly polished sonically. Accompanied by a music video featuring actresses Charithra Chandran, India Amarteifio, and Tara Shahidi, alongside Pantheress herself, shopping in for high-end fashion such as Valentino and Fendi. The song is a lyrically introspective piece about her relationship with wealth and materialism. It’s sung over a neatly crafted 90s drum and bass beat with R&B undertones, retaining all the nostalgic qualities that made her debut mixtape, “To Hell With It” (Parlophone), the critical success it was.

Lyrically, the track implicitly uses money as a double entendre for love and obsession, with Pantheress singing on the refrain, “On a Monday, can I see you?, Can I check my numbers? ‘Cause I want to, I know it’s annoying how much I do, Spending you the day that I want, the day that I want, Another day then, maybe Tuesday?” The themes of obsession and wealth both carry a negative connotation with love, but the song employs this familiar and sometimes overt gimmick with elegance and just enough ambiguity that it doesn’t become grating.

PinkPantheress’ bedroom pop sound appears to be consistently improving in quality with each new release, and considering her initial success with songs like “Pain” and “Just For Me,” which became overnight hits thanks to TikTok, it’s remarkable to see that she has transcended the TikTok artist label that many people might have initially associated her with. PinkPantheress seems poised to maintain her prominence within the music scene, and her debut album is highly anticipated, likely to solidify her position even further