PINLIGHT puts the spotlight on ‘FIZZY!’, one of the brightest and most immediately lovable moments on her new album All Things Nice. The Edinburgh-based project of hearing-impaired multi-instrumentalist Jenny Laahs has built her reputation on vivid synth textures, sharp melodic instincts and emotionally alert songwriting, and this track feels like a particularly inviting way into that world.
On its own terms, ‘FIZZY!’ is a rush. Built around a funk groove, snappy guitar riffs and an unexpected 1960s girl-group-inspired bridge, it leans into the playful, silly side of romance with real confidence. PINLIGHT pushes that mood further through claps, vocal whoops and lively sound effects, making the song feel full of bounce and movement without tipping into novelty. It is bright, flirtatious pop, but it is also carefully put together, with enough structure and detail to give all that fizz something to hold onto.
A bright spark inside All Things Nice
What makes ‘FIZZY!’ more interesting is the way it sits inside the wider shape of All Things Nice. PINLIGHT has described the album as a record about conflict and resolution, both internal and external, and about the messy path of working out when to be sweet, when to stand up, and when to let go. That framing gives the album more depth than its colourful title first suggests, and it makes ‘FIZZY!’ feel less like an outlier than a necessary point of release within a more emotionally mixed set of songs.
Elsewhere on the album, that complexity comes through in different ways. ‘Salt’ turns towards the emotional cost of people-pleasing with a moodier synth-bass pulse, while ‘Over and Over’ takes an 80s-hued route into self-expression and breaking free from old cycles. ‘Saccharine’ pushes at gendered expectations and the pressure to be “nice”, ‘Pep Talk’ carries an epic, nostalgic atmosphere, and ‘Dictionaries’ moves into a more introspective space with Björk-esque production and crystalline vocals. Taken together, the nine-track record seems designed to move between softness and resistance, sweetness and bite.
That balance has long been part of PINLIGHT’s appeal. Since beginning the project in 2018, Laahs has fused retro synth atmospheres with artful songwriting shaped by self-affirmation, relationships and feminism, drawing on touchpoints such as Kate Bush and Prince while still sounding firmly like herself. On All Things Nice, those instincts appear more fully developed, with additional production and mixing from Ben Seal and contributions from guitarist Ali Tod, violinist Dominika Czerniga and tenor saxophonist Jenna Tufnail. The record was also made by a team made up entirely of women and gender minorities, which gives extra weight to the feminist thread running through its writing.
In that context, ‘FIZZY!’ works especially well as a focal point. It shows the album’s sense of fun and melodic ease, but it also highlights how carefully PINLIGHT understands contrast. For all its sparkle, the song belongs to a record concerned with boundaries, pressure, self-worth and release. That makes it more than just the sugar rush in the middle of the tracklist; it feels like part of the album’s emotional architecture, a reminder that lightness can be meaningful too.
Review
‘FIZZY!’ is easy to warm to because it never overthinks its own charm. The groove is immediate, the pop detail is clever without becoming fussy, and the girl-group twist gives the song just enough surprise to keep it feeling alive. PINLIGHT sounds fully at home here, letting the track be bright, flirtatious and slightly daft in the best possible way, while still keeping hold of the craft underneath it.
What lifts it further is how well it represents the wider strengths of All Things Nice. Even as one of the album’s most playful songs, ‘FIZZY!’ still carries the precision, personality and emotional intelligence that seem to define the record as a whole. It feels like an ideal entry point: accessible, colourful and instantly catchy, but with enough care in the writing and arrangement to make you want to stay in PINLIGHT’s world a little longer.
All Things Nice is out now to stream and on vinyl.
