Serena Foster’s latest single ‘Mayhem’ is a powerful and upbeat addition to the indie pop scene. There is venom within its veins, a zealous drive for perfection. The beat is sudden and it gives you goosebumps, something intense is coming like a thunderstorm brewing on the horizon. Once the instrumental begins in full the storm is unavoidable, you either join it or get swept away. The vocal is the core of it all, the swirling wind, the flame. It finds harmonies in the verse, pushing them to the max and in the chorus delivers a rhythmic mantra that will stick with you for days.
The real draw for this single is its colour and how that blends with the power in the Vox. There are whites and blues, flowing like an alien sky — beneath are oranges and reds, a fire on the surface, threatening to set the clouds aflame. ‘Mayhem’ gives you that feeling of anarchy, like you don’t know where the threat is coming from, you can’t contain it all, you can’t keep your eye on every inch of the horizon. The magic of the track, however, is that it also makes you feel safe. The steady beat, the strength in the vocal, the hopeful chord progression. Serena Foster has endured calamity and in doing so, has become a hero. ‘Mayhem’ is that story, one of rebirth and war. A transcendent pop track that will open many, many doors for this upcoming artist. Fantastic.