Rising pop princess Arden Alexa of the Bay Area walloped magnanimity with her fresh and bubbly banger “Petty Bitch,” dropped on Oct. 20 with the music video.
Channeling pop princesses like Taylor Swift and coalescing it with fresh, grungy female pop-punk (Avril Lavigne, Olivia Rodrigo, LØLØ), Arden created a go-to bop that evokes feelings of confidence and independence.
Sassy bubble gum pop permeates the track with lively and bouncy rhythm guitars and colorful synth soundscapes. Despite the lyrics being doused in the singer-songwriter’s anger toward someone (it gives the track some bite), Arden uses a playful lyricism style to express herself, which helps level the song’s intensity.
“Petty Bitch” has solid and youthful vibes and empathetic lyrics. It’s a big middle finger to the notion of being the bigger person in trying situations. Arden wrote the song in reaction to her breakup with a childhood friend, teaching listeners that it’s normal not to embrace the “bigger person” and to unleash their “Petty Bitch” side.
“After a dramatic friend breakup left me feeling both sad and angry, I needed an outlet to help me get over the grief of losing my childhood best friend,” Arden explained. “My solution came in the form of this song. What began as just a joke (being mean to anyone is wildly out of character for me) quickly turned into a sort of therapy for me, a way to channel my anger into something so outrageously fun that I was able to work through my feelings about the situation.
She continued, “So, when listeners find that being the bigger person or wallowing in their grief isn’t working, I hope they can turn on this song, scream the lyrics (either privately in their room or directly at the person), and move on!”
“Petty Bitch” follows Arden’s 2022 debut EP Day Dreams with her first single, “The Coast,” on it. “Petty Bitch” is part of her five-track EP, ’22.
Watch the music video for “Petty Bitch” below!
Written by Taylor Berry
