By Maia Stern

You may be wondering why “Oooo boy your drive is affecting me, ohh as you’re taking the wheel” is the first lyric you hear Awesome New Republic front man, Michael John Hancock sing out in a sensual, Britney Spears-y undertone. The poppy and perfect-for-jogging-jam “Birthday” was originally written for the debut album from the queen of texting, Gossip Girls‘ Leighton Meester. After comparing the high notes, the boys of ANR knew what they had to do. They took it upon themselves to adopt “Birthday”. It is now their duty to soulfully sing about other dudes and basically transform into the love child of the Scissor Sisters and Justin Timberlake for this dance-worthy track that is now their lead single.
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