Duran Duran has just released their new single Last Night in the City featuring Kiesza, and it’s time like these that one wonders if Duran Duran know how to spell the word SELLOUT. Last Night is, by all counts, a thoroughly disappointing effort from both band and featured singer. It’s almost as if they had actively attempted to pigeon-hole themselves into a framework of generic pop, because this is as generic as it gets.
An all-too-familiar “four on the floor” beat underscores some decidedly mediocre lyrics: “Living like it’s our last night… like there’s no tomorrow,” sings Simon le Bon, but he might as well have been replaced by Ke$ha. It’s a throwaway performance from all, including Kiesza, whose powerhouse vocals are clichéd and awfully derivative. Utilising her upcoming prowess as a featured artist is perhaps the most disappointing aspect of the track, especially when compared to her own solo bangers like the grimy Hideaway.
It’s not the worst song of 2015 – not by a long shot (especially not when Pretty Girls is still fresh on everyone’s collective memory) – but it’s simply bland, and an unwanted reminder of Duran Duran’s continued attempts to produce relevant music, like an ageing father who wants to be ~down with the kids~. Last Night in the City sounds like a checklist of mainstream pop trends, down to the brass production near the end of the song echoing recent hits like Uptown Funk.
Really, it’s just an unfortunate choice from Duran Duran. Excuse us while we revisit their earlier work and bask in their former glory.