Leanna Firestone is known for her ability to release a fun, upbeat track followed immediately by an introspective cry-fest of a song, and her new single “Victory Lap” definitely falls into that first category. “Victory Lap,” released March 4, screams “I won the breakup” on top of an intoxicating piano and drums mix.
From Nashville, Tennessee, Firestone started her career by writing anime-inspired songs like “Strawberry Mentos.” Since then, she’s had a starry career, hitting millions of streams on her tracks on Spotify.
“Victory Lap” is a showcase of how perfectly Firestone incorporates humor into her songwriting. Throughout the song, you can hear the smile she is sporting while singing lines like “I knew it had to happen / I’d see you after the aftermath and / I never thought that you’d look so tragic / I guess the big man falls the fastest,” especially at the end of the song, and “I don’t mean to brag but you know you’ve blew it / Best you ever had / Well yeah, the shoe fits” in the pre-chorus. Her unique ability to make listeners feel the same giddy feeling you can hear reflected in her vocals is contagiously inspiring.
Firestone also makes references to history and literature in “Victory Lap,” adding to the lyrical depth of the track while not taking away from the buoyancy of it. In the opening chorus, Firestone makes a reference to Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s “The Yellow Wallpaper” in the line, “Been avoiding every call / Peeling paper off the wall.” She then mentions the “panopticon,” a prison design made to create the feeling of being watched 24/7 from the 1700s, in the bridge with, “I’ve been acting like you’ll see me / Heartbreak’s a panopticon.”
By adding in these references, it elevates the song to an even greater star quality, a mix of fun pop and intellectual depth.
“Victory Lap” is sure to be an early song of the summer, one that makes you want to scream along at 80 mph on the highway, hands up in the air, taking your own victory lap.
Firestone, along with the single, announced the Victory Lap Tour for this spring in cities across the U.S. and in Toronto. Stay tuned for news about her upcoming album The Answer.
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