Over the course of two full albums and countless singles, Shygirl has established herself as one of the most eclectic and transformative faces in dance music. With her most recent album, NYMPH, coming up on its two-year anniversary, Shygirl is again in release mode—”tell me” is her latest single, a collaboration with Boys Noize and the first release from her just announced Club Shy EP.
“tell me” Brings Together Shygirl & Boys Noize for the First Time
For the uninitiated, perhaps it’s easier to list the incredible rolodex that Boys Noize has amassed over his career, with the likes of Frank Ocean, Skrillex, Daft Punk, Justice and the Chemical Brothers having appeared alongside the German DJ & producer. Safe to say, he is just as formative of a voice in today’s electronic music world—it’s just a wonder it took this long for the pair to come together.
And the end result certainly lives up to its billing. “tell me” is a “no frills” house song, but there are a few twists in the margins that help it transcend that initial read. The bright keys to the driving hi-hat sections are the crux of the track, but Shygirl again impresses with her vocal performance over top. She provides a muted, whisper-like cadence during the verses and as countermelody during the hook. Once that chorus kicks in, she functions almost as a sample, the “I’d do anything” lyric repeated again and again as Boys Noize bends the beat behind her.
Though the only brand new music of music included, “tell me” arrives as a pseudo-EP, sharing a tracklist with two earlier 2023 singles, “f@k€” and “thicc.” Both of those latter songs are just as addictive and club-ready as this new collaboration with Boys Noize, providing a bit of a sneak peek at the direction of the upcoming Club Shy EP. That project is expected to release on February 9th, and we already have the collaborators credited—names like Empress Of, Lolo Zouai, SG Lewis and Sega Bodega. While we wait, Shygirl’s backlog is certainly worthy of a deep dive—you can find everything she has out wherever you stream your music.
