With each release from Cascada’s upcoming album, we’re left wondering why they haven’t covered this classic before. Their latest single, “Call Me”, a rendition of Blondie’s iconic ’80s hit, feels like it should have been part of their earlier albums. Fortunately, Natalie Horler’s vocal prowess shines through, making this latest cover version sound undeniably gorgeous. This acts as the follow-up to the Jax Jones remix of their previous single “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough“, both singles are to appear on the trio’s fifth studio album “Studio 24”.
Originally written by Debbie Harry and Giorgio Moroder, Cascada brings a Euro-dance energy to “Call Me”, produced by Christian Geller. With “Studio 24” on the horizon and Geller overseeing the musical development, Manuel Reuter and Yann Peifer (Manian and Yanou) are not part of this project. However, Natalie Horler has confirmed that they support the new direction and love the new songs. Known as the DJs behind Cascada, Reuter and Peifer remain part of the group, with Horler emphasising that they are still a trio. Manian, meanwhile, is focusing on his dance duo Twoloud.
The queen of Euro-dance has always been Natalie Horler from Cascada, and she certainly proves that once again with this incredible cover. Originally known for their club-banging covers back in the ’00s, Geller and Horler have taken what originally made Cascada a worldwide success and recreated this Blondie track with a modern dance twist while infusing the nostalgic charm of the ’00s. There’s no denying that Horler’s voice is flawless, but Debbie Harry made this one tough song to sing, and Horler controls herself effortlessly and dynamically showcasing her beautiful ability to make us believe every word. We reckon Harry would be proud when she hears this version.
The accompanying music video, which has been directed by Marcel Brell, gives off “Pyromania” meets “Au Revoir” vibes, with its club setting and Horler’s sexy sultriness portrayal that we willingly eat up. It opens with a building labelled “Studio 24”, hinting that we’re entering a club inspired by the iconic ’70s New York nightclub Studio 54. Horler arrives in the same Volkswagen Beetle she drove off in at the end of “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough”, with that song playing on the car’s stereo. This fluid narrative links the two videos and makes us wonder if the next music video will continue this trend—we love a consistent, connected storyline.
Working the camera as she has for years, Natalie Horler is stunning in a variety of outfits, exuding style, class, and a seductive edge. Her performance is complemented by the impressive dance routines of her backing dancers, choreographed by Tom Langen. Horler herself also showcases her dance skills—a rare treat in most of her ’00s and ’10s visuals. This combination creates a phenomenal music video that is sure to go down in Cascada’s history books—plus, Horler’s mother, Christine Horler, makes a cameo sipping a glass of champagne. Cheers to Euro-dance queen’s mother.
We’re so ready to share the wine with Cascada, “Call Me” is everything we could ask from them and more so. Sexy, seductive, and sultry, Natalie Horler is not holding back, from the vocals, to the visuals, to the production, to the choice of cover songs, to the choreography, to the direction, this has been a long time coming, and we’re here for every single second of it.
“Call Me”, by Cascada, is available to download and stream, right now, across all platforms, via Stars by Edel. This single release is literally off the back of Natalie Horler joining Jax Jones on the stage of Capital’s Summertime Ball in Wembley Stadium, London. She absolutely nailed “Everytime We Touch”, the Jax Jones remix version, as expected, and the performance was later broadcast on ITV1 and ITVX, with the entire show edited down to one and a half hours.
The fifth studio album by Cascada, titled “Studio 24”, is set to be released October 11, 2024, and will contain 15 tracks including “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough” and this new single, “Call Me”. We do not know whether the Cascada remix of “Never Be Lonely” by Jax Jones and Zoe Wees will also appear on the full-length LP—we hope, at the very least, it will appear as a bonus track.
On top of that, “Call Me” marks the second cover to be released from the new album and as much as we adore their new take on classic hits, we’d love the next single to be an original as many fans discovered them when they released “Evacuate the Dancefloor” which hit Number 1 in the UK.
