As my semester winds down and summer looms, I find myself wanting to listen to music that is loud, evocative and makes me feel something.
Throughout April, I consistently returned to Slayyyter screaming into my ears, ROSALÍA’s ethereal, otherworldly voice and Robyn’s animated pop sound to bring me out of the trenches of finals season.
Slayyyter isn’t really an artist who has ever been on my radar, but “WOR$T GIRL IN AMERICA,” released March 27, has certainly changed that. Think Charli xcx’s “BRAT,” but less polished and commercially viable, and that’s this album. None of her past music has ever really resonated with me, but this album feels like she has settled on a sound and character that works for her.
“BEAT UP CHANEL$” is probably my favorite track from the album. It opens with Slayyyter all but screaming about “Money, drugs, chains on my chest, that vintage Celine” before repurposing that sentiment into a dreamy, blissful chorus that feels like sticking your head out the car window on a night out. The contrast between that abrasiveness and smooth chorus makes for a satisfying, dynamic listen.
Much of this album is abrasive, bordering on unpleasant sounding, but in a way that just works. “OLD TECHNOLOGY” and “CRANK” execute this particularly well, with Slayyyter’s off-putting persona and chaotic sound coming together in the most effective way.
I also love these songs’ eerie, unsettling music videos, whose visuals really helped bring the music to life for me. There is also a lyrical undercurrent of insecurities and family tensions throughout much of the album, which gives it some interesting narrative dimension.
With this album, Slayyyter seems to be satisfying a Kesha-esque craving in pop culture right now for something edgy, fun and unfiltered, and I’m enjoying watching her rise to success.
“LUX” by ROSALÍA is a record that came out in November last year that I never devoted time to delving into, but last month was when that changed. Like Slayyyter, ROSALÍA isn’t an artist I have ever been very familiar with, but the positive critical reception around this album drew me to it. What kept me interested were its striking Catholic-inspired imagery, gorgeous soaring vocals and reverent instrumentals.
While admittedly I was worried I would not be able to connect with this mostly Spanish album since I don’t speak the language, I was pleasantly surprised at how much it resonated with me. ROSALÍA’s evocative, transportative voice transcends the confines of the language barrier, making every emotion she was conveying through this album palpable.
This album is beautiful in sound, but there is a darkness about it and a sense of religious and moral tension that I find simultaneously alluring and haunting. “Divinize,” one of my favorite moments on the record, is a song that really channels those complexities, featuring an absolutely stunning vocal performance.
This album is dramatic, soaring and, at times, unsettling. The grating strings on “Porcelana” are absolutely chilling, as are several other moments on this record. Despite having to rely on English translations, ROSALÍA’s beautiful voice and high-art conceptual instincts made this record reach me on a deep emotional level.
“Sexistential” by Robyn
I have my grievances with this album; mainly, its short length, 29 minutes, leaves much to be desired. Much of the production was a little too robotic sounding for me, and I also find the title track grating and embarrassing. Nevertheless, there are a couple gems on this album that ultimately made it a worthwhile listen.
The closing track “Into The Sun” made me forgive all the things I disliked about the rest of the album. It opens with the line “What a view / Only dreams ever brought me this close to you,” which situates the listener within the song’s specific feeling and story. This is a classic Robyn pop song; it has a euphoric chorus with an insanely gratifying replay value, triumphant lyrics and industrial-sounding vocal distortion.
This was the closest any song on the album came to capturing that euphoric dance-floor high of “Dancing On My Own,” which is one of those perfect pop songs that feels like it’s laced with an addictive quality that makes you want to play it on repeat forever. “Into the Sun” has a similar energy, which I really felt was needed by the end of this album.
Another highlight from this record is “Talk To Me,” which explores desire through the physical sensuality of verbal communication. Although it doesn’t quite reach the heights of the album’s closing track, this song has a great chorus, signature Robyn vocal distortions and a Max Martin writing credit, making it one of my favorite moments on the record.
Although these three artists are opposites both in terms of sound and energy, they all succeeded in giving me some interesting, thought-provoking albums to discover this April.
