Honestly, if you’ve been following PinkPantheress since the days of "Pain" or "Just for Me," you already know the drill. You settle in for a long listening session, and before you can even finish your coffee, the project is over. Her sophomore mixtape, Fancy That, which dropped on May 9, 2025, is no different. It’s barely 20 minutes long.
But man, those 20 minutes are dense.
When people talk about PinkPantheress Fancy That songs, they usually focus on the "shortness" of it all. Critics love to harp on the fact that her tracks average about two and a half minutes. However, looking at the nine tracks on this mixtape, there’s a level of production complexity that wasn't there in her earlier "bedroom pop" era. She’s moved past just sampling old garage loops in her room; she’s collaborating with heavy hitters like The Dare, Mura Masa, and Aksel Arvid.
The Tracklist Breakdown: Beyond the Viral Snippets
Most of us first heard these songs in 15-second chunks on TikTok or Instagram Reels before the full project even landed. But the way the Fancy That songs flow together is surprisingly cohesive for a "mixtape."
1. Illegal
This is the opener, and it’s a weird one in the best way. It starts with these high-energy, 80s-inspired disco synths. PinkPantheress has mentioned in interviews that this song was originally about a male escort, but it morphed into a track about the anxiety of smoking weed. You can hear it in the bridge—she literally includes audio of herself breathing heavily to mimic a panic attack. It’s that contrast between a bouncy beat and "I’m losing my mind" lyrics that defines her style.
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2. Girl Like Me
A lot of fans have pointed out that this feels like a direct sequel to "Illegal" in terms of sound. The piano notes give it a very Y2K pop-rock vibe, almost like something you’d hear in the background of a teen movie from 2003. Lyrically, it’s a classic "I’m too good for you" breakup song, but delivered with that signature detached, airy vocal style.
3. Tonight
This was the lead single (released April 4, 2025) and it’s probably the most "club-ready" song on the tape. It’s built around a sample from Panic! At The Disco, which sounds insane on paper, but it works. It’s Pink’s first real attempt at UK bassline music. The lyrics are surprisingly blunt: "You want sex with me? Uh-huh." It’s a more mature side of her songwriting that we didn't see as much on To Hell with It.
4. Stars
If you grew up in the UK in the mid-2000s, this song will trigger a massive wave of nostalgia. She samples Just Jack’s "Starz in Their Eyes." She actually used this sample years ago on a track called "Attracted to You," but here it’s more polished. It’s got this paranoid, "hating the spotlight" energy.
5. Intermission / 6. Noises
"Intermission" is exactly what it says—a 24-second transition. It leads directly into "Noises," which is one of the darkest moments on the project. It deals with paranoia and home invasion themes. If you've ever been home alone and jumped at a floorboard creaking, this song is basically that feeling turned into a hyperpop-adjacent track.
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7. Nice to Know You
This is a standout for anyone who likes the Sugababes. She samples "Spiral" and turns it into a drum-and-bass-heavy reflection on a friendship that just... ended. No big fight, no drama, just two people becoming strangers. It’s the "reality check" of the album.
8. Stateside
PinkPantheress goes American. Well, sort of. It’s a chaotic, fast-paced track where she sings about following a crush to the US. It interpolates Estelle’s "American Boy" in the chorus, which is a neat nod to her British roots while exploring a new setting. It’s fun, frantic, and feels like a plane ride.
9. Romeo
The closer. It samples Basement Jaxx’s "Good Luck" and is arguably the heart of the project. It’s about unrequited love and the gap between reality and the "fantasy" version of a person you have in your head.
The "Mixtape vs. Album" Debate
Why does she call it a mixtape? Honestly, it’s mostly a vibes thing. In a 2025 interview with Zane Lowe, she basically said that the only difference is how she felt when she started writing it. If she thinks "this is an album," she gets more rigid. Calling it a mixtape gave her the freedom to sample Basement Jaxx and Underworld without worrying if it was "radio-friendly" enough.
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The production on Fancy That is a massive step up from Heaven Knows. It’s kitschy, British, and very "camp." She’s leaning into that H&M/Zara-core house music aesthetic—the kind of music that sounds like a sunny afternoon in London.
Why 'Fancy That' Still Hits in 2026
We’re nearly a year out from the initial release, and these songs have surprisingly high replay value. A big part of that is the Fancy Some More? remix album that dropped in late 2025. Adding voices like Zara Larsson and SEVENTEEN to these tracks gave them a second life.
There's a reason Fancy That was shortlisted for the 2025 Mercury Prize. It doesn't overstay its welcome. In an era where artists are bloat-loading 30-track albums to game the streaming charts, PinkPantheress doing a 9-song, 20-minute run is refreshing.
What to do next
If you really want to get into the weeds of the PinkPantheress Fancy That songs, you should:
- Listen to the original samples: Put on "Starz in Their Eyes" by Just Jack or "Romeo" by Basement Jaxx right after her versions. You’ll see exactly how she "contorts" the melodies.
- Watch the 'Illegal' music video: It captures the secret-affair-meets-panic-attack energy perfectly.
- Check out the 'Fancy Some More?' remixes: Specifically the Zara Larsson version of "Stateside" if you want a more traditional "pop" feel.
- Read the lyrics to 'Nice to Know You': It's her most underrated writing to date—it’s a great example of how she uses "simple" words to describe really complex emotional distancing.
The project is short, but it’s a whole world. You just have to be willing to hit repeat.