"You Know What I Need" is a song by Australian electronic trio

Pnau Pnau, stylised as PNAU, is an Australian Electronic dance music, dance music trio originating from Sydney, Australia, Sydney. The trio, a duo before 2016, consists of the musicians Nick Littlemore (vocals, production), Peter Mayes (guitar, produ ...

and Australian singer

Troye Sivan Troye Sivan Mellet ( ; born 5 June 1995) is an Australian singer-songwriter and actor. After gaining popularity as a singer on YouTube and in Australian talent competitions, Sivan signed with Universal Music Australia, EMI Australia in 2013 and ...

, released through

Etcetc Etcetc Music is an independent record label based in Sydney, Australia. It is the label of alternative and electronic bands and artists Pnau, George Maple, Kilter, Paces, San Mei, Luke Million, CLYPSO, Luboku, and the Australian releases of Jax ...

on 2 December 2022. In a statement, PNAU's Nick Littlemore said "Working with Troye again has been amazing. When we wrote this song, we had no idea that we will get so lucky to have Troye Sivan singing and bringing his unbridled creativity to the world of PNAU." Sivan said "I'm so happy this song is coming out just before the Australian summer, it sounds like a beach festival to me, and I am stoked to have it out." The song comes paired with an immersive video from Polish collective Melt, that transforms a cell phone-recorded video of Sivan into an outer space. The trippy psychedelic visual are, according to video producer Kuba Matka, inspired by the stargate sequence from ''2001: A Space Odyssey''. At the

AIR Awards of 2023 The 2023 AIR Awards is the seventeenth annual Australian Independent Record Labels Association Music Awards ceremony (generally known as the AIR Awards), which took place on 3 August 2023 in Adelaide. The 2023 AIR Awards introduced two new categ ...

, the song was nominated for Best Independent Dance, Electronica or Club Single. At the

2023 ARIA Music Awards The 2023 ARIA Music Awards are the 37th Annual Australian Recording Industry Association Music Awards (generally known as ARIA Music Awards or simply The ARIAs) and consist of a series of awards, including the 2023 ARIA Awards, ARIA Artisan Awa ...

, the song was nominated for Best Dance/Electronic Release. At the

APRA Music Awards of 2024 The APRA Music Awards of 2024 were the 42nd annual series, known as the APRA Awards. The awards are given in a series of categories in three divisions and in separate ceremonies throughout the year: the APRA Music Awards, Art Music Awards and ...

, the song was nominated for Most Performed Dance/Electronic Work.

Critical reception

Tyler Jenke from ''

Music Feeds ''Music Feeds'' is a free bi-weekly digital music and lifestyle magazine ( street press) established in 2008 and based in Sydney, Australia Sydney is the capital city of the state of New South Wales and the most populous city in Austr ...

'' called the song a "summery pop anthem" that "places Pnau eclectic electronic instrumentation alongside Sivan's soaring vocals." Greta Brereton from ''

NME ''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming and culture website, bimonthly magazine, and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a "Rock music, rock inkie", the ''NME'' would be ...

'' called it "a fitting blend of Sivan's easygoing pop and the energetic dance music Pnau are known for, with smatterings of upbeat synth, catchy production and soaring vocals". ''Politica Mente Corretto'' felt that "Troye's enveloping falsetto ties into the immediacy and elegance of Pnau's sound, making 'You Know What I Need' a perfect combination of radio pop and modern disco groove." Joost Landzaat from ''Nieuweplaat'' wrote, "The track is reminiscent of the music

Years & Years Years & Years were an English electropop band formed in London in 2010. The band rose to fame after their single "King" (2015) topped the UK Singles Chart and entered the top ten hit in thirteen other regions. It was preceded by the release o ...

and is about not being able to live without someone, but also not being able to be with them."

Charts

References

{{Authority control 2022 singles 2022 songs Pnau songs Animated music videos Troye Sivan songs Songs written by Kevin Garrett (musician) Songs written by Nick Littlemore Songs written by Peter Mayes Songs written by Sam Littlemore Songs written by Troye Sivan