Pop Music 3: The Best Albums of the Year
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Pop music is having a moment, and we’ve rounded up the best albums of the year so far. From Ariana Grande to Halsey, these are the records you need to hear.
Taylor Swift – “Lover”
“Lover” is the seventh studio album by American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift. It was released on August 23, 2019, through Republic Records. The album’s lead single, “Me!”, was released on April 26, 2019. Swift wrote or co-wrote all of the songs on the album and co-produced every track with Jack Antonoff.
The production
“Lover” is a sonically cohesive album with a variety of rich production choices that manage to never sound overblown or unnecessarily busy. Throughout the record, Swift makes excellent use of space, allowing the listener to focus on specific elements of the music and revel in the small details. The result is an engaging and immersive listening experience that feels both personal and universal.
The songwriting
“Lover” is a song by American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift. It is the title track from her seventh studio album of the same name (2019). The song was released to radio stations on August 16, 2019, as the album’s fourth single.
The songwriting on “Lover” finds Swift in a more vulnerable and honest place than she’s been in a while, with some of her most plainspoken lyrics to date. The result is one of the most beautiful and personal love songs of her career.
The album’s themes
Lover is the seventh studio album by American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift. It was released on August 23, 2019, by Republic Records. As the executive producer, Swift enlisted producers Jack Antonoff, Joel Little, and Frank Dukes to work collaboratively with her on the album’s songs; Antonoff co-wrote and co-produced four tracks with Swift. Described as a love letter to her fans, the album lyrically discusses love and its complications; Swift expanded upon her previous confessional songwriting to sing about more positive aspects of romance and relationships. The record contains 18 tracks and runs for one hour and thirteen minutes.
Lover explores different themes from those of its predecessor, Reputation (2017). Much like Reputation, love and its various complications are explored throughout the record; however, Lover presents these discussions from a more positive standpoint. In an interview with Vogue, Swift stated that “There’s something about this album that’s unlike all the others…and that is everything’s pretty happy!” She also expressed interest in writing happier songs after previously focusing on breakups in her music.
Ariana Grande – “Thank U, Next”
This year has been a big one for Ariana Grande. She released her album “Sweetener” to critical acclaim, followed it up with an even more successful album “Thank U, Next,” and has been dominating the pop charts ever since. It’s no surprise, then, that her album “Thank U, Next” is one of the best albums of the year.
The production
Ariana Grande’s “Thank U, Next” is one of the best Pop albums of the year. The production is top-notch, with not a weak track on the album. Every song is perfectly crafted and polished, and Grande’s voice is in top form. Whether she’s belting out high notes or delivering rapid-fire verses, Grande is in complete control. “Thank U, Next” is a perfect pop album, and Grande is poised to take her place as one of the genre’s brightest stars.
The songwriting
There’s no question that “Thank U, Next” is one of the year’s best pop songs, and a big part of that is due to Grande’s incredible songwriting. The track is a masterclass in effective storytelling, as Grande weaves together a series of personal anecdotes into a larger narrative about growth and self-acceptance. She moves effortlessly from one moment to the next, never dwelling on any one thing for too long, and the result is a song that feels both deeply personal and universally relatable. It’s a rare feat, and it’s one that Grande pulls off with ease.
The album’s themes
Grande has stated that the album is about “gratitude, growth and embracing being single after a very public relationship”. The first song, “thank u, next”, is a pop anthem which Grande has described as “a personal song that is also universal”, about moving on from a failed relationship. “7 rings” is an ode to Grande and her friends’ materialism. The rap-influenced lead single “break up with your girlfriend, i’m bored” deals withReba McEntire comparisons
Ariana Grande’s career beginnings and early success
In 2008, at age 15, Grande played the role of Charlotte in 13
Billie Eilish – “When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go?”
It would be impossible to overstate the impact that Billie Eilish has had in the past year. At only seventeen years old, she has taken the pop world by storm with her debut album, “When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go?” The album is a masterclass in pop songwriting, with Eilish’s unique voice and style on full display. It’s an album that is both immensely personal and universal, and it’s one that will be talked about for years to come.
The production
“When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go?” was met with critical acclaim. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream publications, the album received an average score of 92, based on 18 reviews. Pitchfork gave the album a “Best New Music” designation, with staff writer Sasha Geffen writing that “Billie Eilish has crafted one of the most arresting debuts in recent memory”. In a five-star review for The Guardian, Laura Snapes praised Eilish’s songwriting and production values, writing that the album is “steeped in allusions to childhood fears and teen anxieties”. Maura Johnston of Rolling Stone gave the album 4 out of 5 stars and praised Eilish’s vocal delivery.
The songwriting
On “When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go?”, Billie Eilish pairs her hauntingly beautiful voice with Stephen “Gameboy” Rojas’s sparse, eerie production to explore the shadowy corners of her psyche. The result is a document of adolescent angst and paranoia that feels both deeply personal and universally relatable.
Eilish’s lyrics are deceptively simple, but they pack a powerful emotional punch. She touches on topics like insecurity, heartbreak, and mental illness with a raw honesty that is both disarming and refreshing. There is a sense of urgency in her words that feels especially relevant in our current political climate. On tracks like “bad guy” and “xanny,” she addresses the issue of online harassment head-on, offering a rallying cry for the social media generation.
“When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go?” is one of the most ambitious debut albums in recent memory. It’s a dark and uncompromising exploration of the human condition, wrapped up in a package that is both accessible and extremely listenable. Billie Eilish is a true artist, and this album is proof positive of that fact.
The album’s themes
The album is largely about the anxieties and insecurities faced by Eilish and her peers, many of whom are struggling with mental health issues. The album’s title refers to a recurring dream Eilish has had since she was a child, in which she is chased by “monsters” that represent her fears and insecurity.
