Rising bedroom-pop singer-songwriter MJ Fretwell has unveiled her highly anticipated second single Still Miss It, released June 6th — a lush, emotive follow-up to her acclaimed debut Tainted. With only two songs out, Fretwell is already carving out a distinctive niche within the UK’s indie-pop and dream-pop scenes, marked by a sound that is both emotionally intimate and sonically immersive.
Her first release, Tainted, arrived on March 21st and quickly drew critical praise and over 20,000 Spotify streams, establishing MJ as a fresh new voice worth watching. With Still Miss It, she continues that momentum, expanding on her dreamy, melancholic aesthetic with even greater depth and confidence.
Opening with softly textured guitar strums and buoyant percussion, Still Miss It gradually blossoms into a shimmering soundscape. As layers of vocal harmonies and ambient tones build, MJ’s vocal delivery remains grounded and raw — a voice filled with longing, reflecting on a love that lingers in memory.
“Sonically, I wanted it to sound like being stuck in a daydream, which I think we achieved. The song is all about reminiscing on a past connection with someone, and sort of flicking between the fantasy and the reality of what could be. I wanted to mirror that feeling,” MJ explains.
Lyrically, the track captures that emotional push and pull — the desire to hold onto a romanticized version of the past, even while confronting its reality. The honesty of her songwriting, paired with a dreamy production palette, gives the track a cinematic quality. It’s music for late-night walks, journal entries, and quiet moments of reflection.
The single was co-produced with long-time collaborator Luke Ashby, recorded in a home studio in North West London. Together, the duo crafted a track that feels both spacious and deeply personal, adding to MJ’s growing reputation as a master of emotional storytelling through sound.
Originally from rural West Sussex, MJ has been writing and performing since the age of eight. Influenced by a mix of pop, rock, and R&B, her current sound is often likened to artists such as Clairo, Olivia Rodrigo, and Lola Young. There’s a diaristic quality to her work that invites listeners into her world, with songs that read like pages from a journal.
“I’ve always found it easier to write love songs,” she says. “Songwriting just feels like journaling to me. It feels good to have it all down on paper and out of my head, and creating a song that reflects a difficult experience is a healthy way to express your feelings, and then let it rest.”
MJ’s journey hasn’t been without setbacks. Her time at BIMM University was disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic, stalling the momentum of her early music career. But the period also offered space for reflection and self-discovery — a time in which she began shaping the intimate, atmosphere-rich sound that now defines her music.
With early backing from platforms like Backseat Mafia, Notion, and Lock Magazine, as well as Spotify editorial placements, MJ Fretwell is clearly striking a chord. Still Miss It is a strong step forward — one that not only builds on the promise of her debut but also hints at even greater things to come.
More music is expected later this year. For now, Still Miss It is a reminder of what MJ does best: capturing the emotional complexity of young love in a way that’s haunting, beautiful, and entirely her own.
https://open.spotify.com/track/0To7UL26sSXpE7IeggODNM?si=4a20a6e70bb34ee5