Britney Spears’ “Passenger”: Hear The ‘Britney Jean’ Demo

Sam Lansky | November 8, 2013 2:50 pm

Britney Spears‘ team has managed to keep word tight around the singer’s upcoming Britney Jean LP, but earlier today, a new song from those sessions hit the web — a tune called “Passenger,” built on the clever (and sweet!) hook, “I’ve never been a passenger, but we’ll see more without a map.” Cute, right?

But the song is more than just a chronicle of Spears getting lost on her way down to a Calabasas Starbucks to grab a Frappuccino! Cartographical concerns aside, the song’s electro-Bhangra-lite beat is fizzy and aerobic; it has the same likably plodding quality as Rihanna‘s “Diamonds,” in that it hypnotizes more so than it soars. 

Aside from the robotic “Work Bitch,” the Britney Jean era seems to be all about Spears’ vocals — she hasn’t sung like this since her debut, as evidenced by her delivery on “Perfume” — and while the track is obviously unfinished (some of the vocals don’t even sound like her), it’s a pretty auspicious sign that if nothing else, Spears will actually be singing on her next album.

Listen below.

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