PAXY returns with smoky but sweet nostalgia-driven alt-pop swing in 'The Fool'

Melbourne’s genre-shifting PAXY brings a smoky but sweet nostalgic bent to her alt-pop as she emerges from the shadows with her most daring and self-aware single to date in ‘The Fool’. Blending late-night confessions with razor-sharp self-deprecating humour, PAXY delivers a tongue-in-cheek exploration of self-preservation and self-deception, wrapped in a sound that’s as bold as it is vulnerable.

From the opening line “I’ve been changing our story cause I didn’t want them to feel sorry for me,” PAXY sets the tone for a track that’s both a mirror and a mask: equal parts reflection and revelation, where the lines between truth and embellishment blur.

“This song isn’t about one relationship or situationship in particular,” PAXY explains. “It’s a post mortem on my own role in the fallout, and a nod to the stories we all spin for ourselves and each other. I love dancing on that line, pointing the finger inward, not outward, and finding the comedy in my own chaos.”

There’s a subtle hint of Motown peering through ‘The Fool’, with PAXY channelling flourishes of 60s RnB, twisting into modern alt-pop, all smooth, rich, and honest. The blending of vintage tones and airy synths makes for a haunting, but confident delivery, all boosting PAXY’s effortless, bordering on torch vocals. It’s dimly lit, smoky room swing for those that dance to themselves.

Sonically, ‘The Fool’ marks a striking evolution from PAXY’s earlier singles, ‘Sober’ and ‘Magnetic Field’. Here, she leans further into pop, layering electronic, Motown-inspired drums with vintage samples and a groove-laden backbone. The track is elevated by the creative partnership of producers Michael Bradshaw and Jeremy Chua at Studio Chaddy, and punctuated by a searing guitar solo from longtime friend Ryan Potter.

“We threw everything but the kitchen sink at it at first,” says PAXY. “But when we stripped it back, we realised the lyrics and perspective were the heart of it. The rest is just embellishment.”

PAXY’s musical DNA fuses the grit of blues, soul, and rock – think Rolling Stones and The White Stripes, with the polish of 2000s pop and R&B. Lyrically, she channels the raw honesty of icons like Fiona Apple, Amy Winehouse, Lana Del Rey, and Lorde, crafting songs that are as self-aware as they are emotionally charged. ‘The Fool’ unravels like a confessional, balancing sly humour, bluesy ache, and cinematic metaphors with unfiltered, blunt observations.

With more singles on the horizon and plans to take her project to the stage, PAXY is just getting started. ‘The Fool’ is the sound of an artist embracing her own contradictions and inviting listeners to do the same.  

‘The Fool’ is out now on all streaming platforms.