Hilary Duff's new single 'Sparks' fails to impress

Singer and actress Hilary Duff was a familiar face in the entertainment world of the early 2000s, both for her hit Disney Channel series “Lizzie McGuire” (2001-2004) and her successful career as a pop musician. In recent years, though, she hasn’t often been in the spotlight, only making sporadic television appearances -- for instance, in the third season of the CW’s “Gossip Girl” (2007-2012) -- and releasing one song in 2014.

Now, Duff’s fans might have reason to rejoice. It seems that Hilary Duff is making a grand return to the mainstream. With newly dyed-blue hair, a new television series -- “Younger” (2015-Present) -- and a new single, the former child star is once again in the watchful eyes of the media. Her Tove Lo-penned single, “Sparks,” released April 7, has received generally positive critical response.

Unfortunately, the song is a typical dance pop cliché with a persistent club beat and lackluster vocals. After the admittedly intriguing whistling in the intro, the song completely devolves. Duff’s voice is drained of color, missing the youthful energy of her earlier albums. The press’ embrace of this painfully conventional song is pretty strange.

In the current realm of pop music, several female singers dominate. Duff has neither Taylor Swift’s songwriting prowess nor Beyonce’s regality. She doesn’t have Rihanna’s timbral edge or Arianna Grande’s impressive range. Perhaps it’s not fair to compare her to other artists, but even in comparison to her own older material, “Sparks” just does not measure up. 

Must the public fall head over heels every time an old pop diva decides to make an underwhelming comeback? The public response to Duff's return raises questions about the quality of the music (or lack thereof) being forced into the airwaves by marketers and major labels. More importantly, it makes you wonder why you buy into it so much.

In a recent episode of HBO’s “Girls” (2012-present), Shoshanna describes this perfectly: “It’s like one of those billion-dollar songs where, like, the first time you hear it you hate it, but then they play it on the radio, like, 800 times and then you love it.” Duff’s latest release isn’t the only song that fits this description -- perhaps this writer has just grown jaded and old. The saccharine sounds of “Sparks” will surely infiltrate top lists in the near future, whether you like it or not.