B-Side Guys

Sam Quealy—the techno-pop princess Office Magazine describes as creating a world where “sunglasses are worn into the early hours of the morning and rumors of the apocalypse turn distinctly erotic”—collaborated with La Femme’s Marlon Magnée on “By My Side,” and the chemistry between them powers the track’s roaring grooves. The song gallops through a love story punctuated by what Metal Magazine calls rhythm and instinct, light on its feet but edged with enough tension to keep things interesting.

Understanding “By My Side”

As a member of the legendary vogue house Commes des Garcons, Quealy brings ballroom confidence to Euro-disco structures. The video matches the sound perfectly: both artists decked out in 70s styles, frolicking in a vintage recording studio like they’re documenting the party before civilization ends. Numero Magazine compared her previous single “Londontown” to “the shadow of an Amanda Lear escaped from Berghain,” which captures how Quealy occupies the space between electro-pop, eurodance, and disco without settling into any single territory.

Her upcoming sophomore album JAWBREAKER arrives January 30th, and if the title suggests violence wrapped in candy coating, the music delivers on that promise. Office Magazine notes there’s “calm at the center of the tornado,” but in Quealy’s storm, they find “a glimpse of freedom and empowerment.” “By My Side” moves fast because it has to—when the apocalypse is erotic, and the party might end any second, you dance like magnetic attraction is the only physics that matters.

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For more dancing with disaster, check out Known Moons’ “TIME”