"Plain" is a song by New Zealand singer-songwriter Benee featuring British singer

Lily Allen Lily Rose Beatrice Allen (born 2 May 1985) is an English singer-songwriter and actress. She is the daughter of actor Keith Allen and film producer Alison Owen. Her music career began in 2005 when she made some of her vocal recordings publi ...

and American rapper

Flo Milli Tamia Monique Carter (born January 9, 2000), known professionally as Flo Milli, is an American rapper. She rose to prominence after her songs "Beef FloMix" and "In the Party" went viral on the social media platform TikTok, eventually leading the ...

, released through

Republic Records Republic Records is a New York City–based American record label owned by Universal Music Group (UMG). It was founded by Avery Lipman and Monte Lipman as an independent label in 1995, and was acquired by UMG in 2000. Republic was initially an ...

on 27 October 2020 as the third single from her debut

studio album An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as Digital distribution#Music, digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early ...

Hey U X ''Hey U X'' is the debut studio album by New Zealand singer-songwriter Benee, released on 13 November 2020 by Republic Records. ''Hey U X'' was primarily written by Benee and frequent collaborator Josh Fountain, who also executive produced the ...

'' (2020).

Background

The release of "Plain" was preceded by the singles "

Night Garden "Night Garden" is a song by New Zealand singer Benee featuring American producer Kenny Beats and British musician Bakar, released on 15 July 2020 as the lead single from her debut studio album ''Hey U X'' (2020). Background and composition " ...

" and "

Snail A snail is, in loose terms, a shelled gastropod. The name is most often applied to land snails, terrestrial pulmonate gastropod molluscs. However, the common name ''snail'' is also used for most of the members of the molluscan class Gastro ...

". On the motive behind the track, Benee told ''

NME ''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming, and culture website and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a 'rock inkie', the NME would become a magazine that ended up as a f ...

'': The song was released as a surprise release with no prior announcement on 27 October 2020 by

Composition and reception

Musically, "Plain" is an

alternative pop Alternative rock, or alt-rock, is a category of rock music that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1970s and became widely popular in the 1990s. "Alternative" refers to the genre's distinction from mainstream or commercial ...

song that contains "glossy, rolling,

trap A trap is a mechanical device used to capture or restrain an animal for purposes such as hunting, pest control, or ecological research. Trap or TRAP may also refer to: Art and entertainment Films and television * ''Trap'' (2015 film), Fil ...

-heavy beats". The song was described as "self-assured" with its "dreamy guitar hook" and a "thumping beat". Chris DeVille of ''

Stereogum ''Stereogum'' is a daily Internet publication that focuses on music news, reviews, interviews, and commentary. The site was created in January 2002 by Scott Lapatine. ''Stereogum'' was one of the first MP3 blogs and has received several award ...

'' drew comparison between the song's "foggy, blippy,

chillwave Chillwave (originally considered synonymous with glo-fi and hypnagogic pop) is a music microgenre that emerged in the late 2000s. It loosely emulates 1980s electropop while engaging with notions of memory and nostalgia. Common features inclu ...

-adjacent mood" and that of "

Clairo Claire Elizabeth Cottrill (born August 18, 1998), known professionally as Clairo, is an American singer-songwriter. Born in Atlanta, Georgia, and raised in Carlisle, Massachusetts, she began posting music on the internet at age 13. Clairo rose ...

with a trap beat". He noted that "the sonic soup is a great environment for Benee, even if it somewhat blurs her voice together with Allen's and therefore obscures the flex of featuring her alt-pop forebear on a song. No such trouble with Flo Milli, who adds a burst of enthusiasm to the track upon arrival." Sose Fuamoli of ''

Triple J Triple J (stylised in all lowercase) is a government-funded, national Australian Radio in Australia, radio station intended to appeal to listeners of alternative music, which began broadcasting in January 1975. The station also places a greate ...

'' described "Plain" as "a message to the ex, delivered with sass and dreamy sounds." She praised Allen's featured verse, describing it as "a beautifully melancholic one" and that by "coupl ng itwith Benee's already captivating style of vocal delivery, bringing Lily into a song like this feels like a natural flex." Towards the end of the track, Mike Wass of ''

Idolator An idolator is a practitioner of idolatry. Idolater or Idolator may also refer to: Books *''Os Idólatras'', 1968 Portuguese novel by Maria Judite de Carvalho Music * Idolator (website), an American music blog * ''Idolator'' (album), third album ...

'' wrote "Ouch! It turns out the song is meant to be a raised middle-finger to an ex."

Charts

References

2020 singles 2020 songs Benee songs Flo Milli songs Lily Allen songs Republic Records singles Songs written by Benee Songs written by Flo Milli Songs written by Jason Schoushkoff Songs written by Jenna Andrews Songs written by Josh Fountain Songs written by Lily Allen Song recordings produced by Josh Fountain {{2020s-single-stub