Have you heard The News? Their debut single “Fail Better” is out now

Life is all about getting back up after your failures and dusting yourself off. The idea is that you learn from your mistakes and fail a little better each time, and that’s precisely the message at the core of The News‘ debut single. The band was conceived as a contemporary pop project between James Benjamin Thomas and Rachel Haines, but “Fail Better” is just as indebted to 80s and 90s R&B — as you can hear by streaming the track below.

https://soundcloud.com/thenewstheband/fail-better

Gentle hand percussion, warm bass, and playful marimba mingle nicely with Haines’ airy voice as she details a romance gone sour. The mix in the verses has a really nice, danceable space to it that allows plenty of room for the groovy hat pattern and synth pad to come in during the chorus. It’s clear she’s feeling hurt as she sings “Get a little bit higher / if that’s all you want to be,” but it’s just as clear that she’s moving on to better things. Breakups always suck, but what better case scenario is there than turning that pain into a fun, catchy pop song?

If haven’t heard The News, you better get with the times.