Posted by Katherine St Asaph on 11/29/2011 at 5:24 PM Reviews

The Popdust Files: Looks Like Sex, mike posner

It’s time for a new Mike Posner track, everyone! Specifically, this single from upcoming album Sky High. Until now, Mike’s been known primarily for four things: attending Duke University, getting access to weirdly good instrumentals, having a distinctive voice (whether in a good or bad way is your call) and–well, I can’t put it better than writer Zach Lyon did: “Has there ever been a male pop singer so bent on writing songs about nearly, almost, maybe having sex?” (Perhaps that’s why he’s not so keen on his friends co-opting said songs for said purpose.)

All this is an elaborate way of saying that Mike Posner’s new single both sounds a lot like his old stuff and is actually called “Looks Like Sex.” We really can’t say anything else. Listen below:

Mike Posner – Looks Like Sex by mikeposner

The first thing you’ll notice about “Looks Like Sex”–well, first thing you’ll notice while listening to it–is that it sounds great, as is typical. Whoever’s behind the production has probably been listening to “I’m On One,” if the synths keening behind the verses are any indication, and the beat is more than sturdy enough. As an instrumental–we’re counting Mike Posner’s voice as an instrument here; if it irritated you before, there’s a chance it won’t here–the single’s admirable.

But then there’s the other thing, the one you’ve already noticed. The title of the song is “Looks Like Sex,” and guess which part of that phrase appears right on the crest of the chorus, is repeated during the remainder of the chorus and–for the final chorus–introduced by a a long pause? (Hint: it isn’t “looks.” It isn’t “like,” either. And it’s not any kind of nonsense syllable or melisma.) This must be some sort of milestone. God knows how it’ll get onto the radio, unless it’s replaced with “Jagger” or something.

In case the above was a little too vague, the chorus consists entirely of “she looks like sex, sex, sex, sex.” This strikes us as a little underwritten, not to mention more than a little shameless. There’s subtext, and then there’s being blunt, and then there’s delivering your point–in this case, sex–with skywriting, explosions and neon. It’s a lyrical issue so glaring, it almost eclipses–but doesn’t quite–other foibles like “see that nose ring, might as well be a bull’s eye” (don’t read too much into this, please) or “I used to pull girls like you back in ’09″ or relying too much on heys, oohs and similar filler.

All that said, someone will probably strip “Looks Like Sex” of its words for an instrumental version within the week, so at least something good might come out of it. Or there’s always Cher Lloyd.

POPDUST SAYSd
[starreview tpl=16]