A Poptimist’s Top 10 Albums of 2023 — Part 3: Troye Sivan & Maisie Peters
For the beginning of this list (starting from 10th place), please check it out on Musical Mayhem!
6. Something To Give Each Other — Troye Sivan
Released: October 13th, 2023
Genre: Pop, Dance Pop
Something To Give Each Other by Troye Sivan is the pop star’s third studio album. This album release was in all sense of the word a true comeback — in terms of his last full studio album dating back to 2018, the lyrical theme of romantic and sexual renaissance as this project’s foundation, and the very well earned high amount of praise and success. From the smash lead single “Rush” with its lauded music video and choreography, continually acclaimed singles “Got Me Started” and “One Of Your Girls”, solid album reviews, all the way to Timothée Chalamet mimicking Sivan on SNL and more — he is swimming in piles of pop glory. The house beat, vocal fx, and synth riddled album is a joyous yet sincere chronicle of a gay man’s revived love and lust for life.
Highlights: “Got Me Started”, “One Of Your Girls”, “Rush”, “Can’t Go Back, Baby”, “Still Got It”
As a longtime fan of Troye that has always been aware of his ability to create impeccable pure pop music, this album still managed to exceed my expectations. Personally, I am amazed at the quality of these songs, but more gleeful about the overwhelming positive reception this album has garnered. The weaving of party pumping anthems oozing erotic desire from every sound wave with tender taboo vulnerability makes for a project that effortlessly checks off the boxes of the standards of great pop music — riveting production/composition and strong storytelling.
Now, the singles truly being the top picks of an album is a rare case, but it surely proves that Troye knows what he’s doing. The whole album is great in its own right, but the triple threat of the singles are no match in terms of almost insatiable hunger from my eardrums and brain.
It’s as if the second pre-released single “Got Me Started” grabbed me by the wrist and possessed my fingertips to press the replay button ever since my first listen. The song ended up being my 2nd highest top song from Spotify Wrapped and rightfully so, as I would call it arguably the best pop song of 2023. There are absolutely no minor complaints or notes I have about this song! The electronic sample (“Shooting Stars” by Bag Raiders) that is ingrained in the track could come across as cringe to those that have a bit of a pavlovian response to the original being used as the soundtrack for memes in the mid-2010s… but I, in all honesty, love that added layer of subconscious amusement that completely fits in the song’s (and entire album’s) philosophy. The song is about the thrill of a hook-up that marks a newfound joy in plain desire after a stalemate. The silky synth pads and Troye’s natural vocal tone brings the softness and sincerity in the background, while the 2-step inspired percussion mildly heats things up before the chorus of the squeezy pitched-up filtered vocals and the catchy, lively refrain of the sample. The whole track is addicting in the same sense of the insatiable feeling of passion and desire I imagine the narrator is feeling.
The third single “One Of Your Girls” is a very close runner up. “One Of Your Girls” has its own kind of glamorous desire — with shiny eyes, glitter highlighted cheekbones, and a voluminous head of layered hair. On the surface is the breezy acoustic guitar, sweet hums, sensual smooth bass line, and his airy flirtatious tone showering a somewhat forbidden person of interest in lustful compliments. The blend with electro-pop elements of the song helps to give some edge but also reveal the wistful undertone. The chorus is a masterpiece — one of the best moments of the entire album — with the melancholic 80s-inspired synth pads and slightly mangled, vocoded vocals. There’s a desperate ache that is truly the heart of this song, and the narrator slips in and out of putting up a charming front and having the yearning seep through. The sad sigh-like ‘ah’s and glitchy electro synth break down that help conclude the track feels like his mask malfunctioning and being tangled up in the web of this complicated game of desire.
The lead single “Rush” is a certified (well… officially GRAMMY nominated) club banger. The signature addicting refrain of the male crowd chant, shuffled beat, resonant stable and blurry vocal production of the post-chorus keeps the energy up for a relentless rousing dance party where everyone is melting in a sea of sweaty euphoria. You can’t help but be lured in again and again by the track’s hedonistic energy.
“Still Got It” and “Can’t Go Back, Baby” are the emotionally rawest tracks and the ones that give context to the entire album’s theme. While every other song on the track list shows us a person who can’t stop chasing their burning passion for sex, and really any form of pleasure that can come from human connection, we’re briefly pulled back to post-breakup longing and regret. Also, perhaps because of the sensitive matter, I think these tracks are the best written songs of the album with its strong imagery. “Still Got It” captures the debilitating stillness we’re frozen into while lost deep in thought with our heart weighing heavily. The synth chords and heavy reverb streams over your head like a hot shower numbing your skin. It descends to a more glitchy state as the feeling twists you up as you try to make sense of it. “Can’t Go Back, Baby” continues on that melancholic stillness as the narrator reflects back on the key moments that caused the demise of the relationship, from the critical affair to the harsh rivalry formed between them thereafter. Although, now instead of being completely stuck and isolated, the movement in this song is just the right amount where you can feel a light wind in the air, soon to pick you up again. Through the song, the title phrase travels in meaning from regret in not being able to change the past to accepting that all’s well that ends well. That journey of acceptance, lyricism, and everything sonically about the song is so comforting and provides a warmth like a sunrise.
5. The Good Witch (Deluxe) — Maisie Peters
Released: June 23rd, 2023 (Standard), October 27th, 2023 (Deluxe)
Genre: Pop, Singer-Songwriter
The Good Witch by Maisie Peters is the English singer-songwriter’s sophomore album. The young pop artist has had a slow but steady come up, best recognized for her striking songwriting ability that specializes in precise imagery and references, and deconstruction of her trials and tribulations of love with a candid yet chaotic angle. Compared to her debut album, this sophomore project of classic pop hooks and nimble lyrics possesses a deeper dimension of obsessive anarchy; yet ultimately, a developed smug and self-assured Maisie who stands in her autonomy prevails.
Highlights: “There It Goes”, “History Of Man”, “The Band and I”, “Guy On A Horse”, “The Last One”, “Wendy”, “Lost The Breakup”, “Watch”, “Run”, “BSC”
This album’s initial release slipped my mind and therefore I only got around to listening once the deluxe came out, and that may have been one of my gravest mistakes of the year. I discovered Maisie with her debut album back a few years ago when it came out and found her songwriting to be right up my alley. I adore that album, yet I am still completely blown away — fully knocked off my feet with wild windswept hair — at the level of pop craftsmanship this album contains. In my eyes, it is absolutely pop bible worthy; every single track is banging in various hues of pop fluorescence regarding cockiness, humor, insecurity, longing, disappointment, obsession, friendship, absurdity… you name it, all wrapped in some timeless pop melodies and spirited drums, guitars, and synths. It’s to the point where I thoroughly struggled attempting to pick specific tracks as highlights, so just do me a favor and listen to the whole damn thing!
“There It Goes” and “History Of Man” are a one-two punch combo as the final tracks of the standard edition of the album. “There It Goes” acts as a more conventional album closer where the protagonist has taken their life back after a breakup. The songwriting here is a strong contender for the most vivid lyrics of the album with the rom-com, coming of age cinematic details in the verses and bridge. In the chorus, she gently lets nature lay the relationship to rest as she falls in love with the brimming life around her. The sound is great accompaniment: nice and warm from the toasty bass, percussion that feels like chasing the sun, acoustic guitars, and synth glimmers of hope peaking through the clouds on a miracle sunny winter day. Now, the final track (of the standard edition) “History Of Man” is such an incredibly bold overarching song that seems hard to pull off, but Peters nails it. She’s able to impeccably tie together her history of heartbreak with men, actual monumental points of the history of mankind, and misogyny. We hear all throughout the album how the narrator’s ex was too emotionally immature and had some aversion to her shine, and references of Easter Island, Jericho, biblical and Greek mythology characters are used as observations to exemplify that this patriarchal behavior is something she has no choice but to, at some degree, surrender to. The sonic production does a great job at simply laying the land for the story; a deep synth scape creates a crater in the ground with just the right amount of grandness to imagine Maisie’s exasperated monologue in a sandy desert with the background vocals as the only voices on her side.
On the surface, “The Band And I” is the classic ‘artist’s ode to their band’ song that’s thrown into the album without much thought. It honestly took me a little bit to realize that this wholesome track marks a pivotal emotional turning point for the project; it’s clear that Peters’ experience of a headlining tour was life-changing for her and affirmed her confidence in her career and therefore in herself. While I usually feel disconnected to these types of tracks, the detailed scenarios featuring various American cities, band members, and recognizable brand name drops all over the song fills in more of a ‘collection of found-family memories’ soft spot that I can’t help but almost tear up about. The earnest chugging drums and guitars emphasize that coming-of-age, dreamlike realization of the beauty in life that hits when running through empty streets with your group of friends. With this profound awakening, we can see in the tracks after this that her mindset generally shifts from insecurity to now viewing the other as not worthy enough for her.
The ultimate closer, appropriately named “The Last One” is a really touching tribute of loyalty to a loved one that could easily fit into “The Breakfast Club” soundtrack. In particular, that loved one is deemed as a black sheep that no one really believes in, except for our narrator who is loudly determined to be by their side when all else fails.
“Guy On A Horse” is my favorite of the playfully obnoxious tracks on this album that are genuinely hilarious; the vocal delivery of the over sarcastic verses and bombarding loud chorus gives the song such a fun and infectious energy. The rest of the highlights are just a collection of pop songs executed wonderfully. “Wendy” sees the narrator likening herself to the titled character from the story of Peter Pan, and the way Peters fully commits to the metaphor and references the littlest details from the iconic story is stunning. “Lost The Breakup” is a great mood-boosting single, and the remaining batch of “Watch”, “Run”, and “BSC” each have great dynamics and are more great examples of the humorous nature of the album that still make you want to give condolences for her less than ideal experiences.
Stay tuned for the rest of the list on Musical Mayhem!
