Listen: Lily Allen declares war on pop culture with comeback single, "Hard Out Here" (original) (raw)

Just last week, Lily Allen returned from her four-year musical hiatus with the utterly sweet cover of Keane’s “Somewhere Only We Know”. Today, she’s released a brand new composition entitled, “Hard Out Here”. Picking up right where 2009’s It’s Not Me, It’s You left off, Allen seamlessly marries two dichotomous concepts: glitzy pop music and real-world issues. Whereas the song’s reliance on Auto-Tune, cheesy R&B synth, and a chorus of “It’s hard out here for a bitch” reek of superficiality, it’s the perfect vehicle for the sharp-tongued Allen. With a crooked smile, she readily satires our image- and consumer-based culture, tackling issues of body image, gender inequality, and overall objectification with a brilliant mix of playfulness and outright indignation. It’s a girl power anthem for a new generation, defiantly proving Allen hasn’t missed a single step.

Watch the accompanying music video below, which sees Allen lambaste everything from obsessive plastic surgery to champagne-pouring rappers.