A familiar theme among dancefloor grooves is a commitment to the immediate passions. The latest single from pop duo Foley brings a peculiar and witty foresight to the retro-pop formula. "Tongue" is a slick, funk-pop middle finger to a relationship unsettled from the moment it went beyond casual. The sound is a tasteful blend of disco, funk, and '80s pop. The bassline is deep and sweet, ascending to counterbalance the descending vocal melody. It's whirling and dizzying, but Foley keeps the ball in the air through the irresistibly danceable three-minute runtime of "Tongue." If you can't trust the person you're with, they suggest, it's better to leave it on the dancefloor.
The immediacy behind Foley's songwriting—sticky melody and smart genre blending—puts the fun of music first. Similarly, the situationship at the heart of "Tongue" was better off without complicated feelings. "I know that it's convenience at most, but so far it's been working for us," vocalist Ash Wallace remarks in the first verse. But the more time she puts into the relationship, the less she is getting out of it. "Can't trust you with my credit card, when you got no change," reads one of the single's most scathing-yet-funny burns. When she finally asks, "why are we pretending that we're more," it feels like an epiphany. What good is it to stick around in a relationship if the other person won't even stay until morning?
Earlier this year, Foley released Crowd Pleaser Pt 1, the first half to their debut album. "Tongue" follows "On the Rocks" as the second single teasing towards the remaining half. The pop duo of Ash Wallace and Gabriel Everett formed in 2017 with their innovative and soulful dancepop music. While releasing two EPs in 2020 and 2021, the duo toured with Remi Wolf and played shows with the likes of Tove Lo, Still Woozy, and Two Door Cinema club, among others. Their central thesis as artist is to create music that brings community and togetherness. While Wallace provides vocals for a majority of the duo's songs, their upcoming album is the first time Everett contributes as a lead vocalist.
Written By Andy Mockbee
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