From aspiring bedroom producer to UK’s biggest pop export, Pinkpantheress’s rise to stardom has been nothing short of impressive. The south London artist blew up on TikTok with her 2021 mixtape to hell with it – Y2K aesthetics meets drum ‘n’ bass, though this is a label she seems to be stepping away from on her long-awaited debut Heaven Knows – earlier this year, she announced that she’s no longer on TikTok, and is uninterested in being an “internet artist”.

Following on from her remix of “Boy’s a Liar” with rapper Ice Spice, one of this year’s most memorable singles, and a release on the Barbie soundtrack with “Angel”, Heaven Knows solidifies the 22-year-old’s status as a household name across 13 infectious tracks, featuring star-studded contributions from the likes of Central Cee, Rema and Kelela. Co-helmed by her with a cast of producers, including PC Music’s Danny Harle and regular collaborator Mura Masa, the record pays homage to the early 2000s with samples of Linkin Park and UK garage, paired with angelic vocals laid over breezy breakbeats. 

Born on TikTok, Pink’s tracks are made for the internet, charged with the same digital intimacy as a voicenote. Most of the tracks on Heaven Knows clock in at under three minutes – though this is an advance on her 2021 mixtape. “Can you please wake up, babe? Now you’re scaring me,” she sings on opener “Another Life”, where Rema plays the role of disinterested boyfriend – “Guess you died today, and I can’t believe it. You lost your soul, you know that you can’t stop this.” A similar sing-song yearning is felt in the spook-house production of “Internet Baby”, where she recounts the early stages of a relationship against glitchy production: “My SDs and USBs, you want all of those, and now you want to borrow my clothes.” It’s this sort of introverted musing that makes Pink’s music so relatable, leaving listeners with a sugary afterglow to carry through the day.

Elsewhere, Aïsha Devi returns with a hypnotic album, Bad Boy Chiller Crew are back with a new release, and The Kid Laroi shares an angsty debut.

AÏSHA DEVI, DEATH IS HOME

BAD BOY CHILLER CREW, INFLUENTIAL

GEORGE RILEY, UN/LIMITED LOVE

PINKPANTHERESS, HEAVEN KNOWS

OSCAR SCHELLER, COMING OF AGE

THE KID LAROI, THE FIRST TIME