Sam Smith Goes Dance-Pop on "Reminds Me of You"

British singer Sam Smith dabbles in dance-pop on “Reminds Me of You,” a Target-exclusive bonus track lifted from his debut album, In the Lonely Hour. On Thursday, Target teased a 30-second clip of the song on their website, and it sounds awesome. True, Smith collaborated with electronic music duo Disclosure on their 2012 hit “Latch,” but “Reminds Me of You” is really the first time we’ve heard him sing over a track that’s so light, sparkly, and airy. If “Reminds Me of You” is just what Smith’s bonus material sounds like, I really can’t wait to hear the rest of his album!

You might not realize it just by listening to it, but “Reminds Me of You” was co-written and produced by New Zealand-based musician Joel Little — the same man who co-wrote and produced Lorde’s Grammy Award-winning debut single, “Royals.” Smith got together with Little around November of last year in order to start working on songs for his album. “Reminds Me of You” is the result of their efforts.

Though we only get a small taste of the song from the 30-second snippet, we do get to hear the chorus, which is predictably heartbreaking. Yes, don’t let “Remind Me of You’s” dreamy dance-pop sound fool you: lyrically, the song fits in quite well with the melancholy mood of many of the other tracks we’ve already heard from In the Lonely Hour. Smith sings:

And God knows I’ve tried looking for lovers at night

But each time I do, it only reminds me of you

It only reminds me of you

At the end of the chorus, the word “you” echoes in a sort of mesmerizing electronic stutter. 30 seconds is not enough — I need to hear the whole thing now!

The Target-exclusive version of In the Lonely Hour also includes Smith’s “Stay With Me” duet with Mary J. Blige and the album’s title track, which is strangely missing from the standard edition. Usually, I buy all of my music digitally because…who has time for CDs in THIS day and age? Not me!

However, I will make an exception for In the Lonely Hour. I want those bonus tracks. Plus, it’s always fun to walk around Target’s aisles aimlessly for hours on end, picking up all sorts of snacks, $5 DVDs, and paperback romance novels that I don’t need along the way. I’ll make a day of it.