Rising star Chappell Roan’s latest single “Red Wine Supernova” is a campy, glitzy, and horny bop — it’s everything you’d expect from her previous work and a promising look at where she’s headed.
Roan’s lyrics about sex and longing have always been both frank and fun (take the single “My Kink is Karma” as a stunning example in title alone). Other musicians (in particular other queer musicians I listen to) can mystify sex, obfuscating the act and focusing instead on the emotions behind it. In contrast, Roan’s matter of fact lyrics are refreshing and earnest. “Red Wine Supernova” is a top tier example of this — and shows how fun singing about sex can be. In her final verse, Roan implores her subject: “I heard you like magic / I’ve got a wand and a rabbit.” In case her meaning wasn’t clear, she adds “So baby let’s get freaky, get kinky / Let’s make this bed get squeaky.”
Rich, sweet, and tangy as sangria, “Red Wine Supernova” is a great song: perfectly encapsulating the peppy rhythms of Roan’s upbeat music, how much fun she has with her lyrics, and the yearning that characterizes her ballads.
