“One of the very rare queens of dance music” – said David Guetta about Becky Hill, who has returned with her first musical offering of the year, “Side Effects.”
Hill teased the song’s release on Twitter with a post that reads, “this is your 4 week warning until i release my new single! the artwork has been shot, the music video is being shot tomorrow & the acoustic is being produced up this week! this is my first solo record in over a year & i can’t wait to have new music out for you all!!”
Arriving on May 12, as promised, “Side Effects” is about the lingering feelings we have after a breakup. “I’ve been thinkin’, I’ve been drinkin’ / Anythin’ that might anesthetize the feeling / I ain’t jokin’, I think I’m broken / Somethin’ triggers me at any given moment,” she sings in the song’s first verse of not being able to move on from a relationship that’s ended. The song’s message was wonderfully delivered with Hill’s powerful and soulful vocals, which is something that she has been widely praised for.
The song isn’t your typical “longing for what we used to have,” because even though she finds herself wondering about what her ex is doing and not wanting to answer questions about him, she isn’t exactly wanting back what she had with him.
In her press release for the single, the 29-year-old singer teased details of her album and how “Side Effects” set the stage for it, saying, “I haven’t released a solo record in over a year, so coming out the door after a second BRIT win feels very exciting! I’m playing the UK’s best festivals this year and I can’t wait for people to have a new song to sing along with me. ‘Side Effects’ has been made with my favorite people in the industry and this one really feels like the beginning of my new chapter in my artistry. Album two here we come.”
The accompanying music video opens with Hill checking her phone and angrily tossing it away. Flying in the air, the phone catches fire and burns up. KC Locke (David Guetta, Stormzy, and Ed Sheeran) directed the stunning video, which follows Hill as she tries to get over the lingering effects of a toxic relationship.
The track is written by Hill, Lewis Thompson (her key collaborator), Karen Poole, Jon Shave, and MNEK, who also can be heard providing background vocals.