By Mahnoosh Arsalan
Staff Writer
A tale of love, devotion, parties and a tinge of melancholia, Troye Sivan spills his guts in his latest album “She’s the Best.”
Sivan’s fourth studio album was released on Oct. 9, already making a significant impact on fans' hearts. Through a series of emotional anecdotes, admiration for others and quest for love, Sivan allowed listeners to truly feel their feelings.
Starting with “She’s the Best,” Sivan takes listeners on an auditory descriptive journey. With simple instrumentals, the lyricism carries. By describing the outgoing, carefree and refreshingly authentic women he admires, he marks the importance of female influence in one’s life, emphasizing the impact that women have had in his own life.
Following the titular track are “Canada Dry,” “Party” and “I Do This For You,” three high-energy dance tracks that each sound extremely different. “Canada Dry” follows a classic flashy and charming pop song formula, while “Party” sounds perfect for a club DJ set. “I Do This For You” takes a different approach, still maintaining that sense of high-energy, but combining it with a mixture of heavy, raunchy bass and piano. The mixing is disorganized, the vocals are raspy and deep and the atmosphere pulls listeners in. These three back-to-back smashes are clear standouts in Sivan’s record.
Track five is “Cowboy,” a dreamy, country-esque pop song. This track explores the intimate side to Sivan’s interpersonal relationships, while still admiring that special person in his life. This complements the next song, “Embarrassing,” in which Sivan is explaining the awkwardness of falling in love and how it takes a great deal of vulnerability to truly love someone else proudly. With a shift back to pop beats rather than the acoustic and ethereal tone, Sivan finds comfort in the uncomfortable.
Track seven, “Le Boy,” highlights the universal struggle of not yet meeting the one. Sivan sings about different joys in life while having a voice in the back of his head wondering who to share it all with. With fried, messy instrumentals and vocals, along with the use of “Le Boy” rather than “The Boy,” Sivan indicates the kind of person he wants in life– suave and chic, in an almost unattainable way.
Following “Le Boy” is “Sex Star,” another vulnerable and unpredictable track. What’s expected to be a vivacious and seductive song turns out to be a surprisingly romantic, tender ballad, further proving the overall theme of yearning on this record.
Sivan switches the sonical ambience back to a partiful, DJ-like song with “Troye Meets World,” using fast-paced beats and distorted vocals, making it a great song to dance to. This break from vulnerability comes to a quick end with the next track, a standout from the entire album, “FF.”
Sivan’s “FF” is powerful pop bliss. He defines love through small anecdotes from his intimate relationship with another, grounded in honest communication and deep respect. Sivan truly admires his significant other and the relationship they share, announcing that he’s done with everyone else because he and his partner are forever. With powerful instrumentation that elicits an emotional response, Sivan hits listeners where it hurts.
“FF” is a tough act to follow, but “Love So Big It Hurts” pairs nicely with the song as Sivan carries the theme of romance and healthiness in his relationship. With a return to the classic pop-song formula, Sivan paints a picture for audiences while carrying the tune of simpler instrumentals.
His lyricism almost sounds like internal dialogue, thoughts someone wouldn’t actually say to their significant other. Sivan’s ability to open up to listeners, say the wrong thing and feel authentically adds a level of intimacy and truthfulness with listeners.
The final song off of Sivan’s “She’s the Best” is “Lost Time,” featuring actress Lily-Rose Depp. Her flawless French makes the song feel very chic, allowing listeners to romanticize their lives without truly hearing the lyrics. Sivan brings back the theme of being vulnerable with someone else, completely letting someone in.
By bringing back the intimate side of his relationship and adding French narration in the background, Sivan sets the mood for the album to end. Ultimately, the story he’s been telling to listeners is over, and now he and his love can stay up at night making up for lost time.
Sivan highlights the importance of love and inspiration in his latest record. What starts as an admiration for the people in his life soon explodes into a gut-wrenching, authentic and heavenly tale of love and life. If Sivan does not receive acclaim for this record, the recording academy will be missing out.
