Forget all 'recession pop' and 'indie sleaze aesthetic' nonsense buzzwords. This is not 2010 and we are not pubescent snobs anymore. 'Brat' is... brat because it made energetic, loud sound mainstream again. Hello, and welcome back. show more
Perhaps rather callously I will start a review of 'Eusexua' by referencing the track 'Sympathy is a Knife' on Charli XCX's culture-changing album... 'Brat'. One of the striking lyrics says: "I couldn't even be her if I tried", and should this be a reference to Twigs and her artistry, it is a feeling much understood by anybody upon listening to her latest release. Though belonging to a similar (ballpark!) genre, and with obvious sonic parallels, 'Eusexua' is an exquisite essay into the craft of 2020s electronica. Airy and delicate, with controlled vocals occasionally reminiscent of baroque pop icons as Bjork and Kate Bush, this album could make many a listener feel inadequately prepared to grasp it.
Even the venture into children's singsong (with none other than North West, a genuine child voice with a questionable track record in entertainment - the infamous Lion King Musical debacle notwithstanding) charmed me against my will. I will certainly be returning to 'Eusexua', if only to try and glimpse beyond the inscrutable perfection of each track. show more
The Weeknd partners with Mike Dean to deliver what is to me the rather obvious sonic and lyrical follow up to 'Dawn FM'.... Rather than the final instalment of a trilogy, 'Hurry Up Tomorrow' feels more like a punchier, tighter, more interesting sequel to the previous album in The Weeknd's discography. While 2020's 'After Hours' revised the artist's portfolio and brought it to its predestined pop perfection (thanks to long time collaborator Illangelo and industry titan Max Martin, among others), the following instalments delve into the ensuring existentialism of being the biggest male pop star in the world.
HUT is a listening experience rivalled by few in pop music. The transitions are out of this world, transporting the listener to a cinematic universe coloured by the contrasts between life and death, emotional sensitivity and debauchery, introspection and dissociation.
The grievance I have is not with the music itself, but with the album roll out. As a vinylhead I was flabbergasted to have received my pre-ordered copy in the mail devoid of a track-list printed anywhere on the packaging. Suffice to say that when I dropped the needle on the singular LP (though the album we know is nearly an hour and a half long), I soon understood we were sold at full price a half baked half album. Containing only 9 out of 22 songs on the release, and an additional couple of tracks that never made the cut for the final album, the manifold vinyl variants disappointed bitterly. Considering it is mostly super fans and audiophiles who collect vinyl, this curiously outrageous choice from the Weeknd and his label marks a shift in fan and vinyl culture. 4/5 show more
