For some reason, outside of the Nicki Minaj-assisted "Woman Like Me," the songs from Little Mix's spunky and fierce LM5 (read my review here) failed to properly connect. In a move that's quite unlike them, the girls have quickly moved on to a new single: "Bounce Back." "Bounce Back" is a bounce music-influenced summer jam. Thematically, the song isn't innovative in the least; it's a typical "come hither" song where the girls are flaunting, but still in control of, their sexuality.

The production is easily the most interesting element of "Bounce Back." With hits like Beyoncé's "Formation" and Drake's "Nice For What," bounce music has had a massive surge in mainstream music. "Bounce Back" implements some of the hallmarks of bounce music (big drums and chopped and pitched vocal samples) and balances them with an interpolation of "Back to Life" by Soul II Soul. The interpolation further connects them to iconic and soulful British music groups, and offers a softer layer to the harshness of the bounce influence.

"Bounce Back" is solid, but ultimately, Little Mix truly excels with bombastic pop anthems like "Black Magic" and "Shout Out To My Ex" and "Wings." Those songs are some of their biggest and defining hits for a reason.

Score: 69