Fancy That [Mixtape] by PinkPantheress

PinkPantheress Fancy That [Mixtape]

80
ChoruScore
10 reviews
May 9, 2025
Release Date
Warner Records
Label

PinkPantheress's Fancy That [Mixtape] seizes a neon-lined moment between club euphoria and bedroom intimacy, offering concentrated pop microsongs that critics call both immediately catchy and carefully curated. Across professional reviews, the record's best songs - notably “Tonight”, “Illegal”, “Girl Like Me”, “Stateside” and “Romeo” - recur as the mixtape's emotional and dancefloor anchors, proof of PinkPantheress's knack for recontextualizing Y2K and UK club references into tight, memorable hooks.

The critical consensus, an 80.1/100 drawn from 10 professional reviews, emphasizes the project's brevity and maximalist sampling as strengths: reviewers praise high-BPM production, UK garage, breakbeat and drum-n-bass influences, and vocal processing that push songs into urgent, bite-sized delights. Critics consistently note that tracks like “Illegal” and “Girl Like Me” translate classic British club sounds into contemporary pop, while “Tonight” and “Stateside” chart a nightlife emotional arc from lust to longing. Reviewers applaud the mixtape's curated sampling and collaborative production for sharpening hooks, even as some observe that heavy reference points sometimes make the project feel stitched from its influences.

Taken together, the reviews present Fancy That [Mixtape] as a focused, often thrilling exercise in retro-modern fusion: a concise collection where experimentation meets control, and where nostalgia, romance and paranoia coexist in three-minute bursts. For listeners wondering "is Fancy That [Mixtape] good" and asking for the best songs on the record, the critic consensus points squarely to the highlighted tracks above, framing the mixtape as a rewarding, replay-worthy statement in PinkPantheress's evolving catalogue.

Critics' Top Tracks

The standout songs that made critics take notice

1

Tonight

10 mentions

"oddly placed use of Panic! At The Disco’s ‘Do You Know What I’m Seeing?’ on flirty lead single ‘Tonight’"
DIY Magazine
2

Stateside

10 mentions

"the Adina Howard / Sugababes hit ‘Freak Like Me’ (‘Stateside’)"
DIY Magazine
3

Illegal

9 mentions

"“Illegal” swerves straight into peak time, growing more massive and colorful"
Pitchfork
oddly placed use of Panic! At The Disco’s ‘Do You Know What I’m Seeing?’ on flirty lead single ‘Tonight’
D
DIY Magazine
about "Tonight"
Read full review
10 mentions
86% sentiment

Track Ratings

How critics rated each track, relative to this album (0-100). Only tracks that made critics feel something are rated.

View:
1

Illegal

9 mentions
100
02:29
2

Girl Like Me

9 mentions
100
02:25
3

Tonight

10 mentions
100
02:54
4

Stars

10 mentions
90
02:21
5

Intermission

7 mentions
35
00:24
6

Noises

9 mentions
82
01:44
7

Nice to Know You

10 mentions
100
02:50
8

Stateside

10 mentions
100
02:48
9

Romeo

10 mentions
100
02:34

What Critics Are Saying

Deep insights from 11 critics who reviewed this album

Critic's Take

In a deliriously specific voice, PinkPantheress turns Fancy That into a miniature club epic where the best songs - “Illegal”, “Girl Like Me” and “Tonight” - act as the mixtape's bright, insistent center. The reviewer relishes how “Illegal” blazes with supercharged Underworld synths, how “Girl Like Me” reels off into a roaring speed-garage banger, and how “Tonight” raises the stakes with urgent, song-length romantic yearning. This is compact, confident world-building: maximal in its references, funny and bold in its sentiment, and built around tracks that keep the dancefloor and the heart in sync.

Key Points

  • “Illegal” is the standout for its peak-time energy and inventive sampling that anchors the mixtape.
  • The album’s core strengths are its concise world-building, bold sampling choices, and a new directness in songwriting that blends garage and emo influences.

Themes

UK garage revival Y2K nostalgia emo vulnerability romantic directness sampling and appropriation

Critic's Take

PinkPantheress keeps perfecting her nostalgic craft on Fancy That [Mixtape], leaning into UK-pop reveries to make the best tracks feel like rewired earworms. The reviewist privileges “Tonight” and “Stars” as prime examples of how she repurposes familiar hooks - “Tonight” for its oddly placed Panic! sample and “Stars” for its reworked 2021 touchstone. Across the mixtape, the pop-innovator collaborations and high-BPM pseudo-nightcore production make songs like “Girl Like Me” and “Stateside” feel immediate and club-ready. Ultimately the best songs on Fancy That [Mixtape] are those that turn British classics into bite-sized dancefloor fillers while still pointing forward.

Key Points

  • The best song(s) turn British classics into immediate, bite-sized dancefloor fillers through clever sampling and high-BPM production.
  • The album’s core strengths are its nostalgic sampling, club-leaning production, and collaborations that keep the sound both referential and forward-looking.

Themes

nostalgia sampling and references UK pop and club genres retro-modern fusion
92

Critic's Take

In a nimble and affectionate appraisal Jem Aswad describes PinkPantheress on Fancy That [Mixtape] as finally marrying her microsong instincts to fuller pop structures, making the best tracks—especially “Tonight” and “Romeo”—feel like concentrated delights. Aswad’s prose is brisk and specific, noting how the mixtape "blaze[s] by" yet "pack[s] a velvet-gloved punch," which is precisely why listeners looking for the best songs on Fancy That [Mixtape] will be drawn to those moments. The review emphasizes clever samples, tight hooks and skittering beats as reasons the mixtape delivers, so queries for "best tracks on Fancy That [Mixtape]" are well answered by his focus on those standout cuts. Overall, the voice here is measured but admiring, framing the mixtape as both satisfying and leaving the listener wanting more.

Key Points

  • The best song moments (notably "Tonight" and "Romeo") stand out for clever samples and concentrated hooks.
  • The mixtape’s core strengths are tight hooks, skittering beats, smart sampling and a balanced blend of convention and innovation.

Themes

concise pop microsongs Y2K nostalgia drum n' bass influence sampling and interpolation balance of convention and innovation

Critic's Take

In a sun‑splashed reinvention, PinkPantheress' Fancy That trades the confessional for full‑throttle dance-pop, and the best tracks - “Illegal”, “Tonight” and “Stateside” - showcase that shift. The opener “Illegal” reintroduces her with crystallising Auto-Tune and brio, while “Tonight” pushes a brazen, sexy call-to-action over exuberant production. Meanwhile “Stateside” layers goody-bag textures into a breathless hook, proving Pink's sampling-informed maximalism makes for the mixtape's most irresistible moments.

Key Points

  • The best song works because it reintroduces PinkPantheress with bold production and confident persona.
  • The album's core strengths are maximalist sampling, UK dance-pop lineage, and concise, attention-aware sequencing.

Themes

dance-pop revival nostalgia and sampling confidence and reinvention UK garage and breakbeat influences short-form attention economy

Critic's Take

In this review Karly Quadros hears PinkPantheress as a curator of Y2K and UK breakbeat touchstones, and she singles out the best tracks on Fancy That [Mixtape] for marrying hooks with clever samples. Quadros praises “Romeo” as the mixtape's peak, calling it both funny and dumb in the best way, and highlights “Stateside” as a perfect mid-tempo stomper. The piece frames why the best songs work - tidy songwriting, big samples, and immediate dancefloor instincts - even while arguing the project sometimes feels stitched together by its references.

Key Points

  • The best song, "Romeo," is best because it fuses a memorable sample with high-energy drum breaks to create a lightweight, catchy summer anthem.
  • The album’s core strengths are tight, refocused songwriting and savvy, nostalgia-tinged sampling that easily translates to the dancefloor.

Themes

nostalgia sampling Y2K/early-2000s pop club vs bedroom pop youthful concerns

Critic's Take

In a voice that never stops cataloguing textures, PinkPantheress makes Fancy That [Mixtape] feel like a compressed masterclass in hooks - the best tracks, notably “Tonight” and “Illegal”, thrust together disparate references yet leave a distinct stamp. The reviewer delights in the infectious, neon-hued energy of “Noises” and “Nice to Know You”, praising how brief songs can be sharply written rather than insubstantial. There is a wary aside about “Stars” feeling affectatious, but mostly the tone is admiring of the mixtape's ability to feel familiar and fresh simultaneously.

Key Points

  • Illegal stands out as the mixtape's best for its fizzy, irresistible melody and concise pop craft.
  • Fancy That's core strength is its brief, idea-packed songs that stitch diverse influences into focused, immediate pop.

Themes

brevity collage of influences pop craft and earworms youth culture and streaming

Critic's Take

PinkPantheress returns with Fancy That [Mixtape], a compact, deliberate record whose best tracks show how sampling has matured into storytelling. The reviewer elevates “Tonight” as the infectiously viral lead single and points to “Stars” as a standout full-circle flip that signals artistic growth. There is particular praise for how “Nice To Know You” and “Illegal” shape the mixtape's emotional arc - from thrill to introspection - making them among the best songs on Fancy That. Overall, the tape is commended for tighter curation, focused production, and PinkPantheress's singular voice carrying the narrative throughout.

Key Points

  • ‘Tonight’ is the best song for its viral, string-led bounce and confident, cheeky lyrics.
  • The mixtape's core strengths are tightened curation, purposeful sampling, and PinkPantheress’s singular voice guiding a night-out emotional arc.

Themes

nostalgia and recontextualization nightlife emotional arc curated sampling UK club and pop influences

Critic's Take

In a jaunty, club-savvy run, PinkPantheress makes Fancy That [Mixtape] a concise showcase of her strengths, with “Girl Like Me” and “Illegal” standing out as the best tracks on the mixtape. Will Hermes revels in her Britishness and sampling chops, noting how “Girl Like Me” flips Basement Jaxx into a near-intact hook and how “Illegal” sells lawlessness with an adorable squeal. The result is nine crispy song-nuggets that don't overstay their welcome, a set of best songs on Fancy That [Mixtape] that favour charm, clever samples, and collaborative spark.

Key Points

  • “Girl Like Me” is best for flipping Basement Jaxx into a delicious, near-intact hook that anchors the mixtape.
  • The album’s core strengths are concise, sample-forward production, playful vocal processing, and fruitful collaborations.

Themes

British club styles sampling and nostalgia romance and paranoia vocal processing collaboration

Critic's Take

PinkPantheress leans into bigger, bolder moments on Fancy That, where the best tracks like “Romeo” and “Stars” crystallise her knack for vivid, concise storytelling. The reviewer's voice finds the mixtape both euphoric and controlled, praising how “Romeo” gushes with limerence and how “Stars” turns nostalgia into fractured emotion. Singles “Tonight” and “Stateside” get called out as adrenaline hits, the former for its sensual cheek and the latter for its giddy transatlantic fantasy. Overall, these tracks show why the best songs on Fancy That feel adventurous yet deliberately calibrated.

Key Points

  • ‘Romeo’ is the best song for its euphoric, limerent gush over a serotonin-filled instrumental.
  • The album’s core strengths are concise storytelling, inventive sampling, and controlled experimentation.

Themes

concise storytelling nostalgia and sampling romantic limerence experimentation and control

Critic's Take

PinkPantheress's Fancy That [Mixtape] concentrates its best stabs at club-pop in short, gleaming bursts, and the strongest moments are the hooky “Girl Like Me” and the primer-like “Illegal”. Sal Cinquemani writes with a critical but admiring eye, noting how “Illegal” serves as an intro before the mixtape blossoms into the sample-rich rush of “Girl Like Me” and the sly seduction of “Tonight”. The review foregrounds how the brevity both frustrates and rewards, pushing listeners to replay these standout tracks to catch the details.

Key Points

  • “Girl Like Me” is the best track for its bold interpolation and hook-heavy, maximalist production.
  • The album’s core strengths are concise, sample-rich pop songs that pivot PinkPantheress toward club-ready four-on-the-floor music.

Themes

club music shift brevity of songs hooks and samples transatlantic influence