Hurt by Icona Pop

Dear Poptastic Readers,

Last week, Swedish duo Icona Pop released their latest album called Ritual, and it is amazing! We listened to it 3 times on the first day, and at least once every day since. The new focus track is called "Hurt" and it is the first track on the album. The previous singles were "Ritual", "Dance To This", "Butterfly Feelings", and our favourite "Yellow Top."

"Hurt" is an epic space-age ballad. The lyrics are about a love that didn't work out. The music is very electronic and futuristic. The vocals have some effects on them, but somehow, they still sound very raw and emotional. The chorus just connects with the long chords. Eventually, the pace picks up near the end. We quite like this. We've added the official video visualizer to our 2026 Poptastic Confessions YouTube Playlist ...

"Hurt" was written by Aino Jawo, Caroline Hjelt, Sebastian Furrer, Erik Hassle, and Ines Dunn. It was produced by Sebastian Furrer. Mixed by Eric Dubowsky. Mastered by Sören von Malmborg. It is available on digital outlets everywhere. We've added it to our 2026 Poptastic Confessions Playlist on Spotify.

You can also check out their fantastic album Ritual here ...

All night,

—Sausi O'Sullivan

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Don't Leave Me On The Dance Floor by Carly Rae Jepsen

Dear Poptastic Readers,

Canadian artist Carly Rae Jepsen has a new song out that caught our ears. It is called "Don't Leave Me On The Dancefloor." While checking it out, we noticed that this was her third release of the year. Her two previous singles were "After All" and "On Wires." All three songs are from her album Day And Night.

"Don't Leave Me On The Dancefloor" is a glorious slice of disco pop. It has a lovely melody and Carly's vocals sound wonderful here. There are two versions of the music video. The original video features a storyline of a male dancer while Carly performs mostly in the background. The second version features Carly performing. We prefer the second version, and we've added it to our 2026 Poptastic Confessions YouTube Playlist ...

"Don't Leave Me On The Dancefloor" was written by Carly Rae Jepsen, Christopher J Baran, and Arthur Besnainou. It was produced by CJ Baran and Arthur Besna. It was mixed by Tom Norris. Mastered by Ruairi O'Flaherty.  It is available on digital outlets everywhere. Buy your copy today! Listen to it on our 2026 Poptastic Confessions Playlist on Spotify.

Call me maybe,

—Sausi O'Sullivan

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Lose Myself by La Roux

Dear Poptastic Readers,

La Roux is out with their third single this year and the new song is called "Lose Myself." This follows their singles "Cabin Fever" and "Babyline." All three songs are from the upcoming album Cabin Fever, which is due on November 6.

"Lose Myself" starts off a bit somber and mysterious, but then the in-your-face chorus kicks in with an up-tempo change. This song has lots of emotions! We've added the music video to our 2026 Poptastic Confessions YouTube Playlist ... 

"Lose Myself" was written by Elly Jackson, Michael Rendell, and Kyle Falconer. It was produced by Elly Jackson and Martin Eden. It was engineered by Sean Oakley. Mastered by Brian Lucey. It is available for purchase on digital outlets everywhere. Buy your copy today. We've added it to our 2026 Poptastic Confessions Playlist on Spotify.

Kiss and not tell,
—Davearama

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Butterflies by Honeyz

Dear Poptastic Readers,

English girl group Honeyz is back with a new song called "Butterflies." Honeyz is best known for their 1998 hit "Finally Found." They also had a lineup situation after one of the members quit during promotion of their third single. She was replaced by a member of Solid HarmoniE, but then she left after 2 more singles, and was replaced by the member who initially quit. Despite their controversial history over the years, the new lineup has 2 of the original members, and the lead singer's sister.

"Butterflies" is a power ballad with a nice melody. The vocals sound great, espcially during the big chorus! We hope there are some mixes available without the electric guitar bit. But overall, not bad. We've added it to the 2026 Poptastic Confessions YouTube Playlist ...

"Butterflies" was written by Steve Etherington, Celena Cherry, Heavenli Abdi, Naima Belkihati, and Steve Leroni. It was produced by Steve Etherington. It is available on digital outlets everywhere. Buy your copy today! Listen to it on our 2026 Poptastic Confessions Playlist on Spotify.

Definitely something,

—Sausi O'Sullivan

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Say Now by Lollipop

Dear Poptastic Readers,

One of our readers let us know about a new song called "Say Now" by Lollipop. We weren't familiar with the group. They are an Italian girl group, which was put together on the TV show Poptastars in 2001. Their biggest hit was "Down Down Down." There were originally 5 members, but now they are a trio.

"Say Now" is a fun pop song with a fantastic rhythm to it. The melody is quite good, and there is a big sing-along chorus. We really like how all three singers share the vocals. We've added the lyric video to our 2026 Poptastic Confessions YouTube Playlist ...

"Say Now" was written by Wladimiro Perrini, Walter Mangione, Gabriele Pastori, Veronica Rubino, Marta Falcone, and Marcella Ovani. It was produced by Wlady. Mastered by Watt & Jack. It is available on digital outlets everywhere. Buy your copy today! Listen to it on our 2026 Poptastic Confessions Playlist on Spotify.

Don't leave me now,

—Albert G

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Gravity by Klara Hammarström

Dear Poptastic Readers,

On Monday, we featured a song called "Gravity" by Carda. Now we end the week with another new song called "Gravity." This one is by Swedish artist Klara Hammarström. We featured Klara's song "On And On And On" in 2025, when she participated in Sweden's Melodifestivalen.

"Gravity" is a lovely pop song with a gorgeous melody. Klara gives a wonderful vocal performance that sounds both emotional and strong. We quite like this. We've added the official audio to our 2026 Poptastic Confessions YouTube Playlist ...

"Gravity" was written by Klara Hammarström, Ron Grimaldi, David Brook, and Anika Wells. It was produced by Klara Hammarström, Erik Pettersson, Ron Grimaldi, and Elias Dalstad. It is available on digital outlets everywhere. Buy your copy today! Listen to it on our 2026 Poptastic Confessions Playlist on Spotify.

On and on and on,

—Davearama

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More Than Physical ('26 Mixes) by Bananarama

Dear Poptastic Readers,

Last month, we featured the 40th anniversary of the album True Confessions by Bananarama. In that review, we also featured the Richard X Burning Flame '26 Mix of "Venus." The updated treatment continued to "More Than Physical" with two new '26 mixes!

The Luke Morney Jet Set '26 Mix was released first. It is very special, as remixer Luke Mornay was able to find vocals from the original recording that didn't make it on the finished versions. The line "Baby, my heart is set on you" was added back into the chorus. The music is a freshly updated, and this is quite the exciting release. We love it. We've added the official visualizer to our 2026 Poptastic Confessions YouTube Playlist ...

And now for the latest mix ...

The Alias Deep Down '26 Mix was just released this week. The music has an edge about it, and it is just as exciting. The chorus remains the original without the added lyrics. We've also added the official visualizer to our 2026 Poptastic Confessions YouTube Playlist ...

"More Than Physical" was written by Sara Dallin, Siobhan Fahey, Keren Woodward, Matt Aitken, Mike Stock, and Pete Waterman. It was produced by Stock Aitken Waterman. Remixes by Luke Mornay and The Alias. The remixes are available on digital outlets everywhere. Buy your copies today! We've added the radio edits remix to our 2026 Poptastic Confessions Playlist on Spotify.

You can hear the full remixes on our 2026 Remix Confessions Playlist on Spotify.

Baby I'm waiting,

—Davearama

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Davearama's 2005 interview with Keren
Davearama's 2006 interview with Sara

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