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Icona Pop Really Wants to Win Song of Summer

LAS VEGAS, NV - MAY 19: Caroline Hjelt (L) and Aino Jawo of Icona Pop arrive at the 2013 Billboard Music Awards at the MGM Grand Garden Arena on May 19, 2013 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by David Becker/Getty Images)
Photo: David Becker/Getty Images

Icona Pop is in a tricky position when it comes to Song of Summer: “I Love It,” their breakout smash, is currently No. 7 on the Billboard charts, but discerning Tumblr (and Vulture) readers will know that it was technically a contender for last year’s title. Any song that has been soundtracking movie trailers and TV shows for the better part of a year can’t really be designated the 2013 Song of Summer; the song has to feel specific to the time. So what to do if you are Icona Pop and would like to remain a band the greater public has heard of? You make another summer jam. Here is “Girlfriend,” a shouty, Tupac-sampling anthem that is not quite as infectious as “I Love It” but is certainly more radio-friendly than anything on their very good EP. (Sampling is a generous word for what’s going on with “Me and My Girlfriend, but strategy-wise, sticking yourself in a category with “03 Bonnie and Clyde” seems like an okay move.) Anyway, feel free to treat this as a midday dance break. Get a little weird. You deserve it. 

Icona Pop Really Wants to Win Song of Summer