You probably remember her for "Whip My Hair" and her strange family life, but when I heard Transparent Soul and the pop/rock approach Avril-esque style that has been making a comeback, I was excited to see what was next in store.
One immediate negative is the song lengths are very short. I prefer longer tracks but if done right, 2 minutes or less can work...
The album starts with lead single "Transparent Soul". No I'm not doing the cringey spacing in the song title the original has. I enjoyed the track but hoped more songs would pack more of a lyrical punch than this track.
And if you wanted punched, the next track is quite literally titled "Fuck You". It is 38 seconds of pure punk rage that I don't think I'll hit play on a second time.
Gaslight at least gets to almost 2 minutes but her vocals here seem more of a wreck and I didn't find it enjoyable.
"Don't Save Me" didn't really attract me either. Similar to Gaslight in not being compelling and the vocals being messy.
I won't pretend Naive is not also a wreck, but it is a more compelling wreck where she convinced me she's feeling that angst right now.
Lipstick was the other prealbum single and this far from listening I would say she chose them well. The song grabs you immediately with lyrics creating an imagery.
"Come Home" features Ayla Tesler Mabe. No idea who that is. I enjoy this one but honestly the other singer doesn't fit the song very well and pulls you out of it. Which sucks, it is a good track on its own.
The album is actually getting better, with "4Ever" being a sweet bedroom pop style indie love song and I dig it.
Tierra Whack on "Xtra" works a lot better and they gel into a great song. I think the longer songs grab me a bit more.
I was genuinely excited for "Grow" having an Avril Lavigne feature, but this collaboration was pretty forgettable like her last album "Head Above Water". I can say that, all Avril's other albums are sitting in my room right now.
The closer "Breakout" is also a mess..I don't think I enjoyed many of the collaborations in general at this point. She sounds better on her own.
Lyrics: 5/10 - Not particularly new or interesting on that front.
Music: 5/10 - music sometimes works, and other times it is a wreck.
Overall: 5/10. I recommend just grabbing the tracks you like for a digital playlist or burned cd with something else. But good effort nevertheless.
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