Chloe Qisha – “Sexy Goodbye”
UK-based Malaysian musician Chloe Qisha is having a wild couple of months. Back in July, the artist released their first, very good indie pop track “VCR Home Video” with a black/burgundy aesthetic, a suave suit, and Phoebe Bridgers-esque sad girl blues. It’s an amazingly honest take on family relationships — especially for a debut — but the track felt like it was building up to something bigger. Her second single “I Lied, I’m Sorry,” blew that potential for full-on pop wide open, arriving fully formed with a euphoric beat and a ridiculously catchy chorus. To date, that song and its fly-inspired drone visual still buzzes around my head from time to time. That track recently reached one million listens on Spotify and 100k views on YouTube in the course of a bit over two months. I’m not sure if the easy to follow TikTok dance she did in that video had anything to do with it (I’m not on TikTok, sadly), but it seems like people across all platforms took notice. Not bad for a second single. Really not bad.
Last Friday, Chloe Qisha’s latest offering, “Sexy Goodbye,” follows that trajectory, boasting a familiar 80s pop sound… and yet another fun dance to boot.
Chloe Qisha’s ascent doesn’t come completely out of nowhere – her producer and co-writer Rob Milton has worked with other UK indie pop acts in the past — namely Holly Humberstone, hard life (fka Easy Life), and Rachel Chinouriri – but it’s wild to see Chloe Qisha’s brighter synthpop songs come out of the producer’s lab. Like “I Lied, I’m Sorry,” “Sexy Goodbye” lyrically features a relationship in turmoil, but it’s not a sad one. It’s fun! Sometimes leaving someone can be liberating!
You can really hear her playful personality shining through here (“Oops, my bad!” she deadpans following the line “I’m bagging up your shit / It’s going straight in the trash”) as she berates a no-good ex who’s thinking about other people (“Stacy, from yoga,” and “Charlotte, from work,” all pop up as side characters here). Boasting a “Funkytown” disco-funk beat, “Sexy Goodbye” is 80s pop revival for the flashy TikTok generation. I’d also draw comparisons to Duran Duran… but with extra sass? I’m sold.
Chloe Qisha’s self-titled debut EP is out on November 15th, 2024.
“Sexy Goodbye” is out now via VLF Records / Are You Serious? Records.
Header photo taken from the music video for “Sexy Goodbye.”
Artist pages: Instagram | Spotify | Website
Li-Wei Chu is the chief editor of From the Intercom. When he’s not editing drafts and searching for new artists to cover for the website, he loves watching cult films, cooking, and listening to his ever-growing collection of vinyl records. You can follow him on LetterBoxd and make fun of his taste in movies here!