There is a particular kind of nostalgia attached to growing up online before the internet became fully polished, commercialised and constantly connected. It was a world of glitter graphics, carefully curated profiles, late-night conversations and imagined versions of ourselves built through screens. On “Shotgun”, the latest single from Girl Next Door, that era is transformed into a shimmering electronic daydream.
“Shotgun” marks the first glimpse into the upcoming sophomore EP The Internet Belonged To Girls, a project that explores the contradictions of digital girlhood: the freedom, fantasy and creativity of growing up online alongside the confusion, insecurity and emotional intensity that came with it.
The electronic project of London-based producer, songwriter and vocalist Sarah Carton, Girl Next Door has built a reputation for turning personal experiences into what she describes as “diary entries with synths”. Previous releases have explored vulnerability through experimental electronic production, but “Shotgun” introduces a brighter, more euphoric side of the project without losing the emotional honesty that defines Carton’s songwriting.
Produced by Carton alongside James Middleton of Porij, the track immediately feels like a memory caught between reality and imagination. Sparkling synths, atmospheric piano and glowing electronic textures create a sense of movement, while the song’s central hook captures the rush of believing that one night, one person or one moment could completely change everything.
There is a cinematic quality to “Shotgun”. It feels like the soundtrack to a summer that may or may not have happened exactly as remembered: late-night drives, endless conversations, imagined futures and the intensity of young love. Carton describes it as “the soundtrack to a summer holiday you can’t quite remember properly,” and that uncertainty becomes one of the song’s most appealing qualities. It is nostalgic without being overly sentimental, capturing the emotional truth of memories rather than simply recreating them.
Lyrically, the track reflects the themes that will run throughout The Internet Belonged To Girls. Rather than treating internet nostalgia as a simple aesthetic, Girl Next Door explores what it meant to be part of the first generation to grow up with their identities shaped by online spaces. Before algorithms dictated discovery and social media became a constant performance, online communities offered a strange kind of freedom. They were places to experiment, reinvent yourself and find connection, even while creating new pressures.
Away from the studio, Carton has also built a reputation as an engaging live performer, appearing at venues including Next Door Records Two, Paper Dress Vintage and The Windmill Brixton, while continuing to develop a wider creative world that connects music, visuals and storytelling.
Overall, “Shotgun” is a song about a generation caught between online fantasy and real-world emotion, where memories are filtered through screens but feelings remain completely human.
