Annie’s “Ralph Macchio”: Idolator Premiere

Norwegian songstress Annie has no shortage of extraordinary pop gems in her back catalogue — “Heartbeat,” “Chewing Gum,” “Songs Remind Me Of You,” “Anthonio,” and the list goes on — but the thing about her newest release, The A&R EP, is that every song is exceptional. It’s a lean five-track collection, helmed by the effortlessly brilliant Richard X, that flips between euphoria and melancholy; the production is delicately ambient, disco-giddy and Balearic-shimmering, sometimes all at once.

Songs “Hold On,” “Invisible” and “Back Together” have all been unveiled — but now, in anticipation of the EP’s July 29 release, I’m really really stoked to have Idolator premiere the A&R track “Ralph Macchio.”

Annie says that the song was inspired by her experiences watching the titular child star on fuzzy VHS tapes in the ’80s: “I definitely had a crush on him,” she told Vice’s Noisey blog earlier this year. “I’m going to try to send it to him somehow and hope he’s going to smile and have a good day while he’s listening to it.” It’s hard to imagine how he wouldn’t: The song is a gem, video game bleeps and velvety vocals. To have Annie deliver your name in her frosty coo — we should all be so lucky.

Listen below.

Annie — Ralph Macchio