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The X Factor has given us so much. We've had Steve Brookstein's heart-rending version of Against All Odds and his reincarnation as the bitterest man ever to play Pizza Express. Then there was Shayne Ward, whose early promise was scuppered by a lack of interest. Leon Jackson, whose charisma was so great he was forcibly removed from the spotlight. And finally, there was Matt Cardle: a man who strove so valiantly for credibility he got Gary Barlow to write his first single before posing with hundreds of condoms at a photoshoot to try and flog whatever Snow Patrol cast-off he was peddling as the follow-up.

But among the dreary covers, acoustic ballads and hapless dancing, The X Factor has also given us Leona Lewis (Bleeding Love is incredible) and Alexandra Burke (a handful of great tracks, mainly from her first album). The good thing about this excellent Little Mix single, their first proper release since they won the show last December is that a) it's being released in August, which means that by the time they appear on The X Factor later this year everyone can say, "Ah, they had that amazing song which spent four weeks at No 1" and b) they haven't really done any interviews so have yet to alienate their fanbase ("doing a Cardle" as it's known). So why is Wings brilliant? Well, it's got everything you'd want to hear in a pop song in 2012. Horns! Big clomping beats! A gloomy dubstep bit! Double-time handclaps! Ridiculous vocal runs last heard on a Christina Aguilera single! A marching band that arrives out of nowhere! A slightly trite lyric about loving yourself no matter what! It's great …

• Wings is due on 22 August via Syco.