HIT ME HARD AND SOFT
Billie’s 2024 album is jaw-dropping. It’s raw and vulnerable with incredible lyrics and vocals. It’s different from Billie Eilish’s past albums and displays range and growth. The lyricism in the album resonates deeply with so many people. Every word fits so perfectly and the ad-libs are exactly where they need to be. The way Billie Eilish sings her music carries so much emotion, and her range in this album is really admirable. The album ranges from being really depressing to very happy, from being really slow to being really upbeat, from being really soft to being really loud, from low subtle notes to impossibly high notes where Billie sings her whole heart out and it’s all done with such ease and grace. If you play the album through song by song you notice that there isn’t a clear start and end to the songs, they blend together and different melodies from different songs are mixed with others throughout the album. The way the whole album blends and is all tied up with a ribbon bow with the song “BLUE” is genius– the whole album is genius!
Alligator Bites Never Heal
The album feels REAL! The album is authentic, fun, and different. It’s bold, it’s risky, it’s creative, it’s a very raw album. Doechii is writing about having really deep feelings; starting out the album thinking about the legacy she would’ve left if she died. Doechii wrote “I’m dead / she’s dead, just another Black Lives Matter…TikTok rapper” in her song “STANKA POOH” and it only gets more personal from there. The album talks about her feeling vulnerable and about how she doesn’t feel like she has represented herself through her art so far in her career (before this album) and the way she felt like she was neglecting parts of her life. This whole album is about Doechii redefining herself and being the most authentic version of herself. She writes about trying to figure out who she is and she does it really creatively and beautifully. It’s honestly impressive how she makes light of dark things that have happened to her, the album is really fun while also being a journal entry about her being at her lowest and not getting to process her new identity within being famous.
Short ‘n Sweet
Short n’ Sweet is an incredible album. Sabrina’s owning her sexuality, she’s funny, she’s glamorous, she’s confident, she’s bold, and she knows she has a man wrapped around her finger! This whole album is so refreshing and fun! Her image with this album is one so many girls have dreamt to be since their childhoods, it’s the glitter, makeup, babydoll dresses, the kissy marks, the gems, and the self-fulfillment. She feels beautiful existing as herself and that speaks to a lot of people. The way that she performs these songs on tour speaks to the authenticity of the album too. It’s daring! It’s exciting! The album, its marketing, and its performances are done in such a lovely and tasteful way!
MEGAN
MEGAN is an iconic album. Megan doesn’t disappoint, she’s confident and owns her sexuality in such a beautiful way. The album is confident, bold, creative, authentic, and a statement about who she is. It’s great, she’s nerdy and hot! She loves anime and she writes about it in her songs. Megan’s hot and she’s not gonna let people walk all over her! I’m obsessed with her and everyone else should be too! She’s incredible and so is her music!
GNX
GNX is an incredible album. Kendrick Lamar is a lyrical genius. His writing in this album is unbelievable. His collabs are amazing. Every song just hits. Everything is exactly where it needs to be. I’m speechless, but will forever be obsessed with this album.
BRAT
This album is a party album and somehow it’s not only fun but it’s also vulnerable. The BRAT album went crazy with being brat becoming a persona. It’s about owning your vulnerability and shamelessly expressing yourself. Carrying others’ judgments is a lot to hold when letting go and just having fun is an option. BRAT is iconic!
CHROMAKOPIA
Tyler, The Creator is just such an authentic and fun artist and he definitely brought that into his album. CHROMAKOPIA is bold, fun, and randomly chaotic but fitting somehow. There’s a lot of variety in this album but it’s molded together beautifully. Tyler definitely has a specific sound and style as an artist and it’s what really makes this album so cohesive. CHROMAKOPIA is really raw, in some songs more than others, and I especially see that in the song “I Killed You.” The lyricism too is really incredible: Tyler writes “Your natural state is threatening / to the point that I point at myself and self-esteem… Feel ashamed, so we straightened you out without a doubt / B*tch, I killed you, you are so essential.” Tyler believes that this album is the most honest version of himself and it truly shows.
The Tortured Poet’s Department
I love this album. Have you ever had a situationship and can’t seem to get over it? Thinking about every single moment and you’re not able to make any sense of it? Well, the vast majority of the songs in this album are about (an album of 31 songs) that. I think if you’re getting over someone, this is the album to cry to at 2 AM. It feels a lot less crazy knowing you’re not the only one who feels this way and being able to put your feelings into lyrics that somehow describe exactly how you feel. The lyricism in this album is beautiful and poetic, it puts feelings into perspective. It’s a very vulnerable album and the way she owns it is remarkable. When women go through things like these, they’re made to feel crazy, left feeling like they made up an alternate reality of their relationship in their head. This album in particular is saying that you’re not crazy and demonstrates the psychological damage someone can cause when they lead someone on and the heartlessness and lack of empathy someone has to have to leave like this.
I don’t think we need to know the love lives of every celebrity out there, but it’s really fun to know Taylor Swift’s love life. The fun of this album isn’t only feeling out yourselves and healing, but it’s also dissecting the lyrics and understanding what and who Taylor’s talking about. It also goes to show that if you start falling for someone who’s known for objectifying women, don’t date them!
I don’t think every one of the songs on the album is a winner, but I look at this album as journal entries in a way. Taylor Swift put her heart out there and there’s a certain vulnerability to that and I think that’s very beautiful.