Be The One is the latest single from the Ting Tings, and while it has that unmistakeable Ting Tings sound, it’s also a fully, more audibly satisfying track.

Gone are the sharp staccato vocals of That’s Not My Name, replaced by lead singer Katie White singing in quite a sweet voice. The song is driven by a luscious, thick bassline and chiming keyboards from the guy who plays the Chris Howe role in the band.

If you thought that the Ting Tings would disappear after their first single, think again. Be The One proves that these two are capable of great pop music, and as they surely exhaust the singles supply from their first album, I can’t help but wonder what goodies they’ll deliver in the future.

Anyway, Be The One is about as close to an actual ballad as we’ll get from the Ting Tings, but it’s a beautiful song.

Fraser from the Radio One ChartBlog reminds us that Katy Brand recently did a pretty cruel sketch suggesting that they and The White Strips are all essentially copies of each other:

That said, Katy does make the claim that all indie girls rip off Blondie (don’t start…just let it wash over you, you’ll be a better person for it). And this is the Ting Tings song which actually does, a bit, seeing as the melody and nagging keyboard refrain owe a debt to ‘Union City Blue’.

I wouldn’t claim to be qualified to compare them to Blondie, but one’s things for sure, the Ting Tings constantly score thumbs up from me for daring to be different. Katy Brand doesn’t know what she’s talking about.

Be The One is officially released today – 13 October 2008. From the album We Started Nothing.