Lady Claire Posted February 2, 2023 Posted February 2, 2023 Waiting til it's midnight on my country so i can stream it. I liked her dance-oriented songs better than the new direction but i loved Escapism and The Thrill Is Gone
Better Mistakes Posted February 2, 2023 Posted February 2, 2023 Environmental Anxiety is... a choice...
Better Mistakes Posted February 2, 2023 Posted February 2, 2023 Pretty much finished the album and I'm underwhelmed. Escapism was the strongest song on the album and this could've been cut down to a 10 song album
BlackJesus Posted February 2, 2023 Posted February 2, 2023 6 minutes ago, Better Mistakes said: Pretty much finished the album and I'm underwhelmed. Escapism was the strongest song on the album and this could've been cut down to a 10 song album It's only 13 tracks...
Skestina Posted February 2, 2023 Posted February 2, 2023 15 minutes ago, BlackJesus said: It's only 13 tracks... tiktok is making everyone short attention spanned and it shows
K$Ellie Posted February 2, 2023 Posted February 2, 2023 2 hours ago, Darkseid said: Dunno what everyone else is hearing in this but this is sounding like woke faux art pop to me. Don't like anything except Black Mascara Stick to the generic dj house collabs Rachel yeah this basically, most of it was filler Escapism and Worth It are cute
Wolf Alice Posted February 2, 2023 Posted February 2, 2023 It was cute. The pre release tracks were definitely among the best of the album.
Bosque Posted February 2, 2023 Posted February 2, 2023 Omg the pre-release singles are all fire The Thrill is Gone and Black Mascara, whew. Didn't listen to the album yet but I"m more than happy with that already
Alex Posted February 2, 2023 Author Posted February 2, 2023 wrote a little review “Please get nice and comfortable, and lock your phones, because the story is about to begin.” I can’t even express how long I’ve been waiting to write a review for Raye’s debut album. Probably just as much as how Raye wanted to put this out into the world. ‘My 21st Century Blues’ offers the first full body of work from British singer-songwriter Raye. Stacked to the brim with her one-of-one confessional style of writing and a full stop accompanying each track, it’s easy to see what Raye’s purpose was with this album. Finally revealing her stories she’s been withholding for years due to her previous record label, the release is not only a sigh of relief for both her and fans alike but a big middle finger to the music industry that chose to overlook her. The album opens up with “Oscar Winning Tears”, a grand setup for the rest of the album. Zooming past the previously released singles that we already knew were phenomenal, including the UK #1 smash single “Escapism” which remains her magnum opus, we head into one of the most emotionally songs on the record. “Ice Cream Man” showcases a heartbreaking recollection of sexual assault and begins with Raye humming to a heartbeat, which is echoed throughout the rest of the track. There’s not much time to collect my thoughts because right after we jump into “Flip a Switch”, one of my personal favourites, which shows Raye’s unapologetic attitude to a previous fling with a dancehall rhythm. “Body Dysmorphia” and “Environmental Anxiety” touches upon internal and external issues Raye deals with, the former being self explanatory while the latter might be the most confusing entry of the album. The climate change themed song uses a loop that can be compared to Alvin and the Chipmunks, but she still finds a way to make it interesting with her sporadic delivery. The closing act of the album starts with a sultry auto-tuned moment “Five Star Hotels” accompanied by a nice feature from Mahalia. “Worth It” showcases Raye’s effortless ability to pen a radio-ready pop song and “Buss It Down” find ourselves at the conclusion of the album. Closing with a gospel moment and a thank you to everyone who was involved with the album and the fans for “making it this far.” The seven year wait to achieve a debut album from Raye explains for the lack of cohesion one might expect. Perhaps there will be moments on the album that people don’t favour as much as others, however, with mostly sensible transitions and her bulletproof narrative on lock, it’s more than clear what was set out to be accomplished. ‘My 21st Century Blues’ gives us perspectives and content that are simply not discussed enough in pop music, thus feeling like a refreshing reset rather than just a collection of songs. Rest assured, Raye knows exactly what she’s doing and has set herself up for a fruitful career ahead of herself. Overall I'm just so proud of her. As a fan for many years now, this was a moment we've been waiting for, for the longest time at that. Feels amazing to say I can finally officially stream Raye's album in like 20 minutes.
Alex Posted February 2, 2023 Author Posted February 2, 2023 @khalyan & co. we better be getting a banner tomorrow for this independent queen!
hallucinate Posted February 2, 2023 Posted February 2, 2023 about to finish the album and i’m really enjoying it
Avantpop Posted February 2, 2023 Posted February 2, 2023 calling a woman's album opening up about her trauma, harrassment, blackballing in the industry "woke faux art pop" is a choice ijbol
GardenPanty Posted February 2, 2023 Posted February 2, 2023 5 minutes ago, Avantpop said: calling a woman's album opening up about her trauma, harrassment, blackballing in the industry "woke faux art pop" is a choice ijbol i’m sure it must have been so hard for her to release a Greta Thunberg tribute over an Alvin and the Chipmunks loop OT: I feel like most people are here are pretending to like it because it’s RAYE’s first independent album. If it was put out under Polydor it would’ve been panned and seen as tryhard
KatyPrismSpirit Posted February 2, 2023 Posted February 2, 2023 Listening now! Oscar Winning Tears is SOOO GOOD. Its giving 20s Amy Winehouse esque vibes. Raye sweetie you made the wait worth
KatyPrismSpirit Posted February 2, 2023 Posted February 2, 2023 (edited) Her voice is so ridiculously good. To think her old label made her do songs like BED is such a hate crime. Right of the bat i can tell that this isn't going to be cohesive judging from how black mascara is placed in the tracklist. Not that i mind that but for a debut album i do think cohesion is important to gain a solid fanbase and acclaim / credibility Environmental Anxiety should've been scrapped. Edited February 2, 2023 by KatyPrismSpirit
Alex Posted February 2, 2023 Author Posted February 2, 2023 It's the fact nothing else out there sounds like this right now. Such a refreshing album.
mynameispain Posted February 2, 2023 Posted February 2, 2023 36 minutes ago, GardenPanty said: i’m sure it must have been so hard for her to release a Greta Thunberg tribute over an Alvin and the Chipmunks loop OT: I feel like most people are here are pretending to like it because it’s RAYE’s first independent album. If it was put out under Polydor it would’ve been panned and seen as tryhard people like it because its good. get over it! x
OldSoul Posted February 2, 2023 Posted February 2, 2023 This is amazing. I can already tell that it will be on repeat
TakeYouToHell Posted February 2, 2023 Posted February 2, 2023 The whole project is very solid Environmental Anxiety is actually good, it may have cheesy Marina'd lyrics and weird production but somehow bops. We deserve another Black Mascara from her because whew..... what a masterpiece.
tbhmatt Posted February 3, 2023 Posted February 3, 2023 On the cover of New Music Friday UK and Ice Cream Man is #1 on the playlist
tbhmatt Posted February 3, 2023 Posted February 3, 2023 Black Mascara being so high up in the track list can only be a good thing, more people will hear it
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