In the era of almost-wordless drops at the center of songs, Carly Rae Jepsen is just about exclusively sustaining the bombastic choruses of yesteryear. Her commitment to this tradition has been well-documented throughout her discography, and “Now That I Found You” — the second single off her forthcoming fourth album, Dedicated— is no exception. Though she rarely strays from this tried-and-true formula, it is no less the euphoric listen of her past work; who can really criticize her when it consistently sounds this good? With swirling synths and an absolutely infectious drum pattern support by her specifically raspy voice (it’s even cut as vocal samples in the chorus!), the singer continues to prove why we fell in love with her all the way back in 2012 with “Call Me Maybe.”
Like many of her songs, “Now That I Found You” explores the emotions we experience at the beginning of a relationship; no one is quite as adept as Jepsen when it comes to dissecting the fairy tale feeling of burgeoning romance. While first single “Party for One” was a self-love anthem (in more ways than one) that tracked the singer’s attempts to become comfortable doing things on her own again, “Now That I Found You” is an innocuous affair that sees her trying to open herself back up to a new partner. Despite believing that her “heart’s a secret,” she confesses that she’s “coming alive” spending time with this beau before exploding into that ecstasy-inducing chorus, perfectly capturing the exuberant feeling of new love in its 3:20 runtime. It may sound like a rehashing of past hits to some listeners, but on “Now That I Found You,” Jepsen further cements her status as one of the many underappreciated pop darlings, among the upper echelon with the likes of the beloved Robyn and Betty Who. She’s in incredible company.
Rating: 5/5