Rachel Chinouriri has had a lot of milestone moments lately—and this week adds two more: The release of her debut album, What a Devastating Turn of Events, plus top spot on Antidote with “It Is What It Is”. The song feels a bit like Chinouriri putting a darker spin on Peter Bjorn and John’s “Young Folks”, adding in the ultra-British speak-singing delivery of Lily Allen, Kate Nash or even Dry Cleaning’s Florence Shaw, and then layering on some voice notes from her real friend, the UK pop singer-songwriter Mae Muller. “Even when I was doing it, I was like, ‘Maybe I’m going to sound a bit like a loser,’” Chinouriri tells Apple Music of swapping out her trademark light vocals in the verses. “I’m not really rapping, but then I’m talking, and I obviously have this English accent. I was like, ‘Maybe it’s not cool.’” It works though, especially since that nonchalant delivery comes with some pretty sharp put-downs of someone who’s messed her about. “What I’m saying is, ‘You are a fucking arsehole,’” says the singer-songwriter. “And no matter what country you’re from, you can listen to this and you’ll feel like a Brit chatting to your friends.” Then there’s Muller, who plays a role on the song that she often does when they’re together. “Mae is that person who will be like, ‘Absolutely not’,” says Chinouriri. “I’ll go out and look at someone slightly questionable and be like, ‘I fancy him.’ She’ll go to the bathroom and be like, ‘Rachel, love you so much. No, no, you’re not doing that.’ And I’ll be like, ‘OK.’” Listen to “It Is What It Is” and the rest of Antidote now, then tap What a Devastating Turn of Events to read Chinouriri’s in-depth track-by-track guide to her debut record. Elsewhere on Antidote, hear the latest new music from Blossoms and LAUREL, plus collabs from Orlando Weeks and Wet Leg’s Rhian Teasdale and Holly Humberstone and Medium Build. And remember: if you hear something you like, add it to your library.