Ever fallen in love with a song you shouldn't have fallen in love with?

Don't you hate it when a terrible band releases a stunning single, and you have to re-evaluate everything you ever thought about them?

It happens to me with alarming regularity. In the middle of an endless stream of hoary old plod-rock, the Stereophonics released Dakota, a song so nimble and sexy it literally smacked my gob. Linkin Park's What I've Done was the unexpected highlight of my Guitar Hero repertoire. And I have had to make peace with the fact the Olly Murs' Troublemaker is, in fact, not completely shit.

But these aren't guilty pleasures. They are actual pleasures. And conclusive proof that that the infinite monkeys theory applies to music.

Now I can add Cobra Starship to my list. You may remember them for their limited vocal range and mid-ranking chart hits like Good Girls Go Bad. Or perhaps not. Either way, here they are with a new single that redeems their career in one fell swoop.

The fact that Never Been In Love is co-written and co-sung by Icona Pop might explain the sudden turnaround. Based around a descending piano riff that's legally distinguishable from Praise You, it features a giddy set of "na na nas"; a ramshackle tambourine loop; and the brilliantly questionable lyric: "when you leave, it's like the Titanic / I split up into pieces in the Atlantic". Crikey.

The question is: Does this rescue Cobra Starship's reputation? Or is the featured artist doing all the heavy lifting (technically known as the Bryan Adams and Mel C effect)?

I'm afraid it's the latter, as the Swedish bits stand out like a sore thumb at a hitchhikers' convention. But when the song is this stupid and enjoyable, who cares?

7/10 in a trashy Christmas Party kind of way.

Cobra Starship - Never Been In Love (ft Icona Pop)

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