Clean Bandit, French The Kid and Rema team up on Sad Girls: First Listen

When it comes to selecting their collaborators, Clean Bandit have always been one step ahead. Knowing exactly who'll complement their unique brand of EDM-classical crossover, members Grace Chatto, Jack and Luke Patterson certainly boast one of the UK dance scene's most successful CVs.

So, it sort of goes without saying that the group's latest team-up is a sure-fire smash.

Joining forces with Afrobeats trailblazer Rema and Essex-born breakout rapper French The Kid on Sad Girls, Clean Bandit return with a soulful slice of late summer electronica this Friday, September 9; and we've been lucky enough to sort a sneaky listen.

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With dance music experiencing such a renaissance at the moment - with LF SYSTEM, Eliza Rose and Interplanetary Criminal reigning atop the Official Singles Chart of late - Clean Bandit are in the perfect position to close out a summer dominated by EDM.

Leaning into the group's strengths, Sad Girls is less balls-to-the-wall banger, more subtle sliver of melancholy. 'Sad girl, promise you'll be okay,' distorted vocals plea as the track begins.

Delivering the breeziest of beats, Clean Bandit enlist rapper of the moment French The Kid to deliver bars atop the lush production. 'I got the sad girls feeling like I'm ecstasy, I got this one girl telling me that I'm the one...'

As we enter the second verse, Rema provides his notoriously-smooth vocals in what proves the perfect complement to French The Kid's laidback lines. Nearing the end of a season dominated by dance music, Sad Girls is the ultimate summer send-off.

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Chatting about the collaboration, Clean Bandit explain: "We met French The Kid last year, after falling in love with his song Thrill, and we were honoured that he recorded a verse for our Drive remix. After that, he came to our studio and we made two songs from scratch, one of them is Sad Girls.

"Rema is one of our favourite artists in the world, so we were again honoured when during a recent 24-hour stopover in London he spent a night with us in the studio. He wrote his verse for Sad Girls at about five in the morning towards the end of the session. We were so tired but he was totally energetic, and witnessing his creative process was one of the best experiences we’ve had in the band’s history."

Clean Bandit x French The Kid featuring Rema's Sad Girls is released September 9 via Atlantic.