Sophie's back with a cracker!

The new Sophie Ellis-Bextor single landed in our inbox this morning and since then, according to iTunes play count, we've listened to it precisely 16 times. We always pick pleasure over pain, so you can take that as a testament to the track's quality.

It's called 'Bittersweet' and it's a co-production between Biff Stannard, who previously worked with Soph on 'New York City Lights', and the Freemasons, with whom she hooked up last year for 'Heartbreak (Make Me A Dancer)'. The latter's the Bextor track with which 'Bittersweet' shares the most DNA, though the pair are more cousins who enjoy a gossipy catch-up over a glass of Chardonnay at Christmas and significant family birthdays than brother and sister.

Anyway, time for the nitty-gritty. 'Bittersweet' is a big spangly club banger with a pleasing whiff of the '80s to it and a chorus that's both uplifting and wistful. "I know I shouldn't go but something makes me crave the heat, your love is bittersweet," she sings on that chorus, "The fire in your touch I always find so hard to beat, your love is bittersweet..." After both "bittersweets" there are extra snippets of Sophie vocal buried just beneath the surface of the mix - "woah-woah-woah, so here I am" - and each one is three seconds of pure pop loveliness.

Time for a final thought? Oh go on then. Well, this is a cracking comeback single from an artist we've long been a fan of here at DS and always enjoy pestering at awards shows. It's not out until May, and God GaGa knows what's going to happen between now and then, but, if you ask us, Mademoiselle E-B's given herself every chance of bagging an eighth top ten hit with this one. Fingers crossed.