After firmly establishing her place as a solo artist with debut single ‘Jealousy’ earlier this year, ex-Preatures frontwoman Isabella Manfredi has returned with another new track, ‘One Hit Wonder’.
Manfredi’s latest is a bittersweet and deceptively buoyant kiss-off that sees the singer reflect on a love that’s faded out. “Off the record I’m losing my touch / Off the record I miss you so much,” Manfredi croons above a dynamic, bass-heavy rhythm, understated piano and flourishes of synth, leading into a ripping guitar solo.
“When I walked into the session for ‘One Hit Wonder’ in March 2020, two weeks before the pandemic really hit, The Preatures had already been in limbo for eighteen months and I had been off the stage and in stalemate,” Manfredi says of the song, which she penned and produced in collaboration with Lucy Taylor and ‘Jealousy’ producer Chris Collins.
“The day before the session I had been in the studio with G Flip, Jess B and Thandi Pheonix for Like a Version, and I came home from rehearsals energised and inspired. I sat down at my piano and wrote the pre-chorus and chorus, and over the next few days I finished ‘One Hit Wonder’ with Chris Collins and Lucy Taylor.
“I remember it feeling tongue-in-cheek at the time, like maybe it could be a Preatures song. But I was really saying I was done with the band before I was ready to admit it to myself. I think sometimes it can be hard to swallow that the strongest thing you can do is cut your losses and walk away. It’s also right to acknowledge when something truly was wondrous and leave it at that.”
Both ‘Jealousy’ and ‘One Hit Wonder’ mark the first taste of Manfredi’s forthcoming debut solo album, details of which are relatively scarce at the moment. The Preatures announced their dissolution back in May, with Manfredi citing an “antiquated record deal” that meant the band continuing wasn’t financially viable, along with the breakdown of her long-term relationship with guitarist Jack Moffit.
Manfredi is set to appear on this weekend’s episode of ABC live music program The Sound, performing ‘One Hit Wonder’. That’ll screen this Sunday at 5.30pm. For now, watch the song’s accompanying lyric video below.
