There’s a confidence to ‘About You’ that contradicts the two singles Iris Danbury has released to date: A pop punk energy that’s unexpected but welcomed!
The Huddersfield UK artist’s sophomore effort trades the self-directed defiance of debut ‘I Don’t Care’ for something more outward-facing, a pop-punk and indie rock tribute to the friendships that arrive without warning and hold firm when they’re needed most.
The track’s origins are unusually collaborative for an artist this early in her catalogue. Born out of a chance songwriting session following an open mic set, the song was later reshaped around Danbury’s own voice, before being built out with sampled drums and live guitars and recorded at a local studio. That hybrid production, part programmed, part live, gives the track a texture that sits comfortably between its stated reference points: the melodic instinct of Olivia Rodrigo, the bite of Paramore, and the youthful snap of Avril Lavigne and Busted. What holds it together is Danbury’s own account of the song’s meaning:
“friendships and special people that show up unexpectedly in your life when the time is right and you need them the most.”
It’s a theme delivered with none of the cynicism that can creep into pop-punk’s more jaded corners, instead landing somewhere warmer and more grateful.
Iris Danbury has described herself off stage as the quiet one, the mediator, the friend who puts others first, but says something else takes over once she performs. ‘About You’ captures exactly that transformation, channelling a decade of stage experience, from competitions and busking to a national McDonald’s advert and the PureGym 2025/26 campaign, into a song built for rooms far bigger than the open mic that inspired it.
With a local festival slot booked for 16th August and further releases due within the next three months, ‘About You’ reads as a confident marker in a catalogue that’s only just getting started.
