There’s something magnetic about a late-night track that feels like it knows exactly what you’re wrestling with. You know the feeling—half of you wants to stay put, the other half is already halfway out the door. That’s the exact push and pull Sulene captures on her new single “WANNA GO.”
The Cape Town-raised, East Village-based artist just released the third single from her upcoming EP MUSIC FOR GOING FAST, which lands September 9, 2026. And if the first two singles already had you curious, this one locks it in. “WANNA GO” sits right in that sweet spot of electro pop, dance pop, and alt pop. It’s anthemic without being overblown, introspective without getting stuck in its own head, and built for those nights when the city feels both too loud and too quiet at the same time.
Sulene’s background as a film and advertising composer shows up clearly in the production. There’s a cinematic sweep to the track—layers that feel bigger than a standard pop arrangement—while still staying firmly in contemporary alternative pop territory. The result is music that hits emotionally and physically at once. You can hear the late-night drive, the hesitation, and the quiet decision to keep moving. She has said she wrote it to capture that tension between staying and leaving, and it lands with the kind of clarity that makes you want to hit repeat.
Her path to this point is the kind of résumé that makes sense once you hear the music. She grew up playing in bands in Cape Town, studied at Berklee College of Music, and has spent years writing for major brand campaigns—Nike, Toyota, Apple, and others—plus placements in films and TV. Her solo work has earned nods from Rolling Stone, Billboard, and The Village Voice. She’s also spent time as the lead guitarist for Nate Ruess (of fun.), sharing stages from Fuji Rock in Japan to the White House. There’s even a fun footnote: she did the motion capture for the female guitarist/bassist character in Rock Band VR. That mix of live performance experience, compositional training, and pure songwriting instinct comes through in how “WANNA GO” is put together. It’s polished but still feels personal.
Right now electro pop and alt pop are having a moment again. After years of hyperpop excess and pure dance-floor maximalism, a lot of artists are circling back to something more cinematic and emotionally direct while still keeping the electronic pulse. Sulene fits that shift comfortably. Her work doesn’t chase trends so much as it uses the tools of electronic pop to say something specific. The upcoming EP title, MUSIC FOR GOING FAST, already suggests a clear mood—momentum, urgency, the feeling of not quite being able to slow down. “WANNA GO” is a strong preview of that world.
If you’ve been looking for new electro pop or alt pop that balances feeling and movement, this is an easy one to add to the rotation. Stream “WANNA GO,” sit with the late-night energy, and keep an eye on September 9 when the full EP drops.
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What do you think of the direction Sulene is taking with this EP so far? Drop your thoughts in the comments—I’m curious how “WANNA GO” lands for you.
