There's No "Shame" In Elle King's New Bop

If you fell in love with Elle King as hard and fast as I did after the release of "Ex's and Oh's" three years ago, then you've probably been eagerly awaiting fresh music from the raunchy musician. King has been teasing a new single on her Instagram and alas, release day is upon us.

King's new single "Shame" is here and it's fabulous.

It's hard for me to not love a song by King; her sixties-esque sound is inherently fitting to my own musical taste and I can't help but think of Janis Joplin every time I hear Elle's voice pushing through the speakers. Despite her vintage vibe Elle King is truly in a class of her own among contemporary artists, and with the mess of cookie-cutter pop singles cluttering the radio, "Shame" is a big breath of fresh air.

If you're familiar with King, you know her style is hard to define. Her music tends to be a melting pot of country, blues, rock, and pop that's fitting for nearly anyone's taste. "Shame" is short and sweet, not quite hitting the three minute mark, and remains somewhat non-complex. But King doesn't need complexity and complication: her raspy and boisterous voice is what drives the simple melody and catchy instrumentals. In short: Elle King's music doesn't require the littering of noise and over-editing. She's far too talented for that.

King's "Shame" remains true to her roots and consistent with her last album Love Stuff (2015). She's confident and a heart-breaker — traits we previously saw on tracks like "I Told You I Was Mean" and "Ex's and Oh's" — but most of all Elle King is trouble, in the best way possible.

Though it's been a (seemingly) long three years since her last album, "Shame" reminds us that Elle King is the devil on our shoulder encouraging us to be the curious agitator we've only dreamed of becoming... which makes the anticipation of her upcoming album all the more exciting.

Listen to Elle King's "Shame" on Apple Music and Spotify.