By: Luke Roy
Last Friday Oct. 9, marked the release of Troye Sivan’s highly anticipated fourth album, “She’s the Best.”
The project follows the breakthrough of “Something to Give Each Other” and his co-headlining Sweat Tour with Charli XCX. Those moments propelled the Australian singer to pop-star status, with hits such as “Rush,” “Got Me Started” and “One of Your Girls.” Many expected him to stay in the same pop lane on his next album, but the reality is quite different.
The first two singles, “She’s the Best” and “Party,” caught many fans off guard with their focus on instrumentals over the 31-year-old’s lyrics. Reactions were mixed, with fans worrying the entire album would lean on his “talk-singing” style.
The project as a whole, however, has received much warmer reviews from critics and fans. The album contrasts two sides of Sivan’s life: the nights out, partying and living up to the icon he portrays, and the moments of isolation, loneliness and tension he faced.
Songs such as the aforementioned singles, “Canada Dry” and “Troye Meets World” show off a more club-pop sound, with “Party” even featuring a Madonna interpolation. But the rest of the album strays from this dance sound and into something much more alternative, dark and at moments, epic. Songs like “Le Boy” and “Embarrassingly” highlight Sivan’s desire for love and connection. The project hits its climax with “FF,” a cinematic thesis statement for these desires.
So far, most publications have enjoyed the album, with Pitchfork giving it a 7.3 and The Guardian 4 out of 5 stars. Metacritic gives it an 81 out of 100 based on 10 reviews. Fans have also applauded Sivan’s change in style, with many saying it represents his most artistic work yet.
“She’s the Best” is available on all major streaming services and wherever you listen to music.
