Attitude lines every seam of 19-year-old Suzi Wu’s debut track.
‘Teenage Witch’, the lead song from her debut EP on Lucky Number (Hinds, Dream Wife) of the same name, doesn’t exactly start on the back foot. Wu opens with a mini poem: “Ashes to ashes, dust to dust, the guys are fuckboys, girls are sluts.” Charming. From then on, she blends antagonism with deft lyricism, over a rachety marching drum. It’s personality-packed pop which favours rough edges over a pristine polish.
The track relates Wu’s experience of quitting sixth form and trying to navigate life without a steering wheel. “I’m too scared to live, too stoned to die,” she admits. “Boredom, boredom, dirty water / mixing drinks and down the drain.” Both candid and colourful, she’s following in the honesty-first, suburban-rooted steps of Jamie T and King Krule. Remember the name.