Ok, so I actually love the very dreamy, dreary start to “Seventeen”. It was this sound in particular that I feel like Troye nailed more than anything on his debut. Troye’s vocals are very steamy and the production here is genuinely heavy in parts. Like, there’s a seriously banging beat here then things get rolling. Overall this is a totally solid intro, with a lot of the same lyrical themes that Troye has made a career out of, such as young love. By the stellar production and Troye’s very steamy performance makes for a really solid intro. And I love the glistening keyboards that pop in towards the end. On the other hand, “My My My!” is much more Pop-oriented. Like, this is instantly a whole lot easier to wrap my head around and is just so damn catchy. And honestly, this was the sound that Troye lost me with on his last album. But here, Troye seems ready to dominate the dance floor. This is a really catchy, old-school Pop song with a lot of dips into Dance-Pop. But it all comes off genuinely catchy and glamorous. And yes, in a lot of fo ways Troye focuses even more on the same song topics he has for years. But I would be lying if I said this wasn’t genuinely great Pop music. But I’m sorry, I’m instantly not nearly into “The Good Side”. Why the hell is Troye going for this very quaint, cute little Indie Folk sound. It’s not that this is a bad sound, but Troye sounds like he’s imitating countless other artists here. He’s finally gotten into this mode where I feel like he can casually dish out really great Pop tunes effortlessly. But this is just cheesy. I do like the production and the haziest atmosphere that does eventually pop in towards the end. Hell, if we got more of THAT I feel like I wouldn’t have hated this one. On the other hand, “Bloom” is instantly so much more likable. Troye’s performance here is just so youthful and quite frankly adorable. Yes, we’re still in this realm of dealing with young love. But man, this track is just a genuinely classy throwback Pop tune that sounds like something that Carly Rae Jepsen would have touched on her “EMOTION” album. There are some old school production and some juicy synths. But there’s also a genuinely fantastic hook that sticks with you so well. It’s catchy, snappy, and continues to have a really great Dance-Pop vibe. Troye’s songwriting also has just grown by leaps and bounds.
But Troye does keep dropping the ball with this quaint, singer-songwriter sound. It’s not that tracks like “Postcard” are bad. But Troye with tracks like this comes off as someone who is not content with his own sound and is just copying others. I just feel like this comes off so much cheesier than Troye wanted to. Especially when he’s proven time and time again that he’s capable of writing a great Pop tune. I do, however, like Troye’s very emotional and heartfelt performance here. But call me crazy, but “Dance To This” featuring Ariana Grande excites the hell out of me. Say what you will about Ariana, but her vocals more often than not are incredible. And here, alongside this very sleek performance and Troye’s strangely commanding performance, this ends up being a really fantastic meeting of the minds. And no joke these guys have chemistry. I mean yea, I may wish this one had a bigger beat. But this is a seriously slick track that has an old-school Dance feel. Not to mention, this is easily some of the album’s steamiest moments. I have nothing bad to say. By the time “Plum” rolls around Troye seems like he’s gotten in a serious groove. I love the focus on these grooves here which are fantastic, as well as these once again very retro synths. There’s a whole lot of throwback approaches to the late 80’s and early 90’s Dance scene, but Troye makes none of it sound dated. Not to mention, as a whole he sounds just so much more confident on this entire album. Plus, the absolutely soaring vibe to this one is brilliant, I wouldn’t have minded if this one even ended the album off. Troye almost losses me with the very quiet intro to “What A Heavenly Way To Die”. But thankfully it beefs up really quick. This one has some of the bulkiest production of this album, an I love the pounding drums. But this could have been even bigger and more epic. These drums could have been more intense, and Troye didn’t have to take his time so much with this intro. It’s not a bad tune, but one that could have been so much more, especially with just how genuinely catchy that hook is. Overall though, this is still mighty good.
On the other hand, “Lucky Strike” is much more instantaneous than the last few tracks. But sadly I feel like with this one that Troye in every way is rehashing every single track here. Every lyric here I feel like we’ve dealt with somewhere else on this album. Even the chorus just seems so safe, like he’s summarizing everything he’s brought to the table. Which, yea, if done correctly would be fine. But this my friends is just way too safe. But Troye wins me over with this album’s dramatic conclusion, “Animal”. I love the genuine mystery to this one. It’s just so quiet, and Troye’s voice just pierces everything like some light in the dark. It’s beautiful honestly, and I love some of the production choices here. It’s ridiculous honestly. And in this case, I love the sparse, minimal instrumental that just sort of really does wonders for just how gigantic and epic this track is. It’s a fantastic ending, I honestly hope Troye goes down this route more.
Rating: 7.7/10
Give A Listen To: “Seventeen”, “My My My!”, “Bloom”, “Animal”
Least Favorite Track: “The Good Side”
Genre: Pop / Dance-Pop / Indie Pop
Overall Thoughts: As a whole this album isn’t as dreamy and hazy as some of the work on Troye’s debut, which I thought would absolutely ruin this album for me. But the fact of the matter is, Troye steps out into the spotlight in a big way here and crafts some genuinely catchy and snappy Pop tunes. Some are ready for the dancefloor, some are tasteful throwbacks, and some of them are personal, heartfelt ballads. Some of Troye’s quieter moments here are a little bland, and see him imitating more than inventing. But still, this is a massively enjoyable Pop album.
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