Ellie Goulding And Lauv Surprise-Drop ‘Slow Grenade’ After Adorable Twitter Exchange

Ellie Goulding is gearing up to release her double-sided album “Brightest Blue” on July 17. Her first LP since 2015’s Delirium, the collection will feature contributions from the likes of Diplo, Swae Lee, and Serpentwithfeet, as well as a posthumous assist from Juice WRLD.

But as the anticipation builds, it seems the “Love Me Like You Do” singer can’t contain her excitement. On Tuesday (June 30), Goulding surprise-released “Slow Grenade,” a collaboration with fellow platinum blonde, the multi-platinum singer-songwriter Lauv.

Beginning with a minimal, repetitive strumming that moves into a clapping beat, Goulding’s lyrics weave a tale about a relationship that sours, then explodes. She makes creative use of the song’s namesake on a thundering chorus: “Slow grenade / It’s blowing up my mistakes,” she sings. “Still got time for me to stop it / It’s like a part of me must want it.”

Lauv joins in on the second verse, responding to Goulding’s internal musings like an opposing force. “Crazy, late nights in the city / Drink until you hate me,” he coos. “Think that we should move on / But we’re too scared of being alone.” The pair join on the bridge, alluding to the difficulty of ending a relationship built upon codependency (“Help me, my God this got messy”) and bringing to mind imagery of parking lot arguments and drunken, public spats (“‘Cause we put on one hell of a show”). With a heartbreak narrative this well-rounded, it’s easy to lose oneself to the pure, pop magic.

Prior to the song’s release, the singers shared a candid interaction on social media. “So I’ve been thinking about releasing one more song before #BrightestBlue comes out. maybe with @lauvsongs?” Goulding tweeted on Monday (June 29), tagging Lauv. To that, Lauv responded excitedly, “yayayayayayayay :)” — permission granted.