Little Mix just dropped their sixth studio album, Confetti, and it is the perfect album to put on to let loose, have fun, and dance around your dorm room. It still shocks me that Little Mix, Britain’s biggest girl group, hasn’t achieved a bigger U.S. audience because let me tell you, you are missing out! The group—including Perrie Edwards, Jade Thirlwall, Leigh-Anne Pinnock, and Jesy Nelson—won season 8 of The X Factor (UK) back in 2011, and they have been thriving ever since.
In Confetti, just like in their last album LM5, Little Mix has been experimenting with different pop sounds, mixing the modern with retro. Plus, their voices are amazing and strong in their own unique ways, and their harmonies are effortless. Not only that, but they unapologetically write their own songs (yes, they are also songwriters) that empower and uplift women, their confidence, their power, and their sexuality. And although this album probably won’t win any awards for being particularly ground-breaking, they clearly had a fabulous time making these songs, and it really comes through. The songs honestly sound like a mix of all the best pop sounds right now, so even if the sound isn’t entirely original, the songs are really catchy. Like I have been singing them non-stop since the album dropped. And with all of the high tension and intense stress that 2020 has left us feeling, this album creates the fun vibe that we have been missing.
Organizing the songs by the three main types of songs on the album—break-up songs, love songs, and empowerment songs—here are my ratings on each of the songs on the album.
- Break-Up Bops and (Sort-Of) Ballads
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Track 1, “Break-Up Song” (9/10) This song was released earlier as a single in March, and I have been singing it ever since. And I’m not even dealing with a break up, it’s just that good. Perfect amount of retro.
Track 3, “Sweet Melody” (10/10) This one was my absolute favorite! Best song on the album. I just love the sound of it, and I can’t help but bounce along to it. LOVE it!
Track 9, “A Mess (Happy 4 U)” (3.5/10) I don’t quite like the falsetto tone in the song. I love the message of the song—it’s like a positive break-up song, being happy for someone even if you aren’t with them—but there are too many conflicting sounds in the song. The chorus is great, though.
Track 12, “If You Want My Love” (7.5/10) This song is a jam, but it also just clearly puts out there that “if you want my love / boy, you better know / you got to work, baby.” The self-respect that this song preaches, plus the dance vibes in this song, is what makes it so great. It isn’t exactly on the top of my list, but I still really like it.
Track 13, “Breathe” (5/10) This song is actually really sad and heartbreaking. The words are beautiful, but the overall sound is kind of a miss for me. I almost wish it was just a classic ballad, but it isn’t a bad song by any means.
- Sexy, Sensual Love Songs
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Track 2, “Holiday” (9/10) I really, really enjoy this song. I love how it celebrates love in a fun but sensual way, and also the mermaid theme from the music video is golden. One of my favorites on the album.
Track 7, “Nothing But My Feelings” (8/10) This song is so smooth and fluid in a way that is different than any of the other songs on the album. It has a sexiness like “Rendezvous,” but I really love how this song loves love. That’s my favorite kind of musical message.
Track 10, “My Love Won’t Let You Down” (6/10) This is one of the only slow songs on the album, and it is throwback to the sound of their earlier albums. The sound in some parts is a bit off for me, but I love how supportive and beautiful the song is.
Track 11, “Rendezvous” (6.5/10) The sexy vibe in this song is everything. It’s isn’t as immediately catchy as some of the other songs, but the way Little Mix celebrate and empower female sexuality is one of my favorite things about this group, and this song perfectly exemplifies that.
- Self-Love, Confidence-Boosting Anthems
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Track 4, “Confetti” (8/10) “I’ma let the good things in my life rain down / From the sky, drop like confetti.” Ah, the title song, celebrating the good things in life is just what we need. It makes you feel confident and powerful. Enough said.
Track 5, “Happiness” (8.5/10) I love how this song celebrates being happy and loving yourself. I think any song that you can sing along to at the top of your lungs about self-love is a win.
Track 6, “Not a Pop Song” (7/10) This song is just really catchy. Like you’ll know the chorus after hearing the song once or twice kind of catchy. But I really appreciate this song more after reading Little Mix’s interview with Apple Music in which they talked about how this song is basically a clapback against all of the critics that have just called their music basic pop songs and “guilty pleasures.” It’s amazing how Little Mix just owns who they are and are proud of the music they create.
Track 8, “Gloves Up” (9.5/10) YES! YES! YES! I love an empowering feminist anthem that is all about strength, courage, and resilience. I have been listening to this one right before any presentation or project to get pumped up, and it just captures the will to keep fighting even when things are hard. A great song for this moment that we are living in.
If I ever need a confidence boost, or a song to just rock out to in my room, Little Mix has been and will continue to be my go-to. And with thirteen songs, running for about 40 minutes, Confetti is just the album you need to release all of your tension and jam your heart out. And if you want to hear more from Little Mix, they will be hosting and performing at tomorrow’s EMAs (Europe Music Awards). It will be Sunday, November 8, 2020, starting at 7 p.m. EST on MTV.