“I hope you never need me,” Rachel Chinouriri declares witheringly in the chorus of 'Never Need Me', the standout cut from her debut album 'What A Devastating Turn Of Events'. Far from what she may seem, she does not say it out of anger or spite, but rather out of tenderness and respect.
In the first verses she is surprised and, to a certain extent, happy to receive a call in the middle of the night from an old love, but as the song progresses, the singer becomes clearer: “promise me you'll be okay” but “If you can't change, I doubt I can help you.” That person only calls her when she is in trouble, but she has already turned the page and learned her lesson. In the video clip, Florence Pugh is her friend who, just in case, doesn't let her fall into the temptation of following along again.
The song, with a decided pop-punk feel, begins with some gentle guitars and Chinouriri's sweet voice lying on them. The intensity progressively increases until it reaches the chorus, where the production finds its peak thanks to an irresistible melody and lyrics that deserve to be sung euphorically in karaoke. Although her numbers do not support her as much as they should and Rachel Chinouriri remains an independent artist and not too well known to the masses, Never Need Me 'has everything you could ask for in a great pop hit.
