I didn't like it.
Pitchfork gave it a 7.6. I give it a 4. First of all this kind of feels a bit industry plant. Daddy is executive chairman of NJOY, a vape manufacturer. It really shows. Regarding this, an article about her 2023 single Salad, Stereogum writes: "that kind of situation can leave a bad taste. " But they felt "don't hate the player hate the game" applies because that album was good. I have not listened to it, and I have no intention to. But this album sounds a lot like Daddy's money got her places. Would she even be on the radar if this wasn't the case. It is incredibly produced. It appears that a lot of money went into this album. Due to this, it sonically feels a bit two dimensional.
What I also gather from listening to this album feels kind of like aimless girl rage vomiting the contents of her diary that I respect but also find boring and trite. Like very look at me go rawr edgy with out the edge that would make it feel more authethentic. It feels imbalanced in how stripped back it is when it had so much potential to go in a more riot grrl direction. It almost feels lazy and whiny, and using that as a way to just play it safe . I will say I enjoyed listening at the beginning but the latter half of the album became background fodder. I enjoyed the occasional sick rip. Kind of giving grown up Olivia Rodgrigo like there are some real bones there but she’s too scared to go there. I was reading a blurb about this release and she called it "more grown up" and "full". If that is the case, I don't have any inclination towards listening to the first album. But hey I get it, sucks to be riding through the trials and tribulations of young adulthood.
Here's a track by track impression of variable lengths:
Thumbtack- The feeling of keeping someone around because the pain they cause feels easier to deal with than the pain you put yourself through- that hits hard. That being said I felt this was told in ways it could've been showed. It felt deeply personal. Perhaps uncomfortably so. Who knows, maybe I just wasn't equipped for it upon my first listen. I think its wordiness left a bad taste in my mouth. I suppose I wanted to relate but she made the message clear for this album that it's all about her experience, leaving me little room to project. I try to be aware of my own shortcomings, but I don't think this track fully does in how it rambles on.
T&A- Ugh this song made me feel gross. And I suppose that's the point. Being in a desperate place. Taking whatever you can get as a means of validation. Letting some fucking loser feel you up because it makes you feel pretty for a moment. Only to be made small after. A very universal experience. Her very raw perspective. But again, almost too raw. Offers too much without giving it room to breathe. I firmly believe that if you're gonna be real you better fully commit and scream a little. The rage here feels tepid. Doesn't live up to its potential.
Arms- A little bluesy vibe that I always appreciate. Another day, another man baby. I might assume that this is potentially the same dude from T&A. Or perhaps it's just one of many. I'm sensing a theme here. "Oh well you're not gonna save him". It feels a little repressed though. Like there is a degree here that she is holding back. I hear bitterness, I hear resentment. But where is the true female rage?
What's Fair- Mommy issues. I've got em. I actually liked the direction of this song because it borders on shoegazey. She reminds me a bit of Hatchie here. There's some grit here. "There's nothing less perfect to a girl than a mom" stings.
Two Times- Shout out to Daddy who probably paid for this album. Tells him she loves him. Cute.
Event of a Fire- ALERT-TONY SOPRANO MENTION. Forget anything else about this song. Talks about drugs. Being 16. Tony gets it. The patron saint of the transition between adolescent anguish to jaded adulthood. Gabagool to cope.
23's a baby- Self explanatory. 23 is a very loaded year. Dig the melody, although it feels a little Green Day.
Change- Could've skipped this one.
Toy- Sexually empowered Girlboss. "What picks it up isn't desire, it's a lack of Sertraline", she's not horny, she just went off her meds."We need the Steely Danification of this operation". I want to know what this means. To dissect this we must ask: what are the core philosophies of Steely Dan? For starters, I just found out that their name is derived from a strap-on dildo featured in William S Bouroughs' Naked Lunch (source: Far Out Magazine). Steely Dan is all about blues. All about jazz. On the surface it appears to be clean but underneath is shrouded with depravity. They seem corny. But they're all about grit, taboo and existential dread. Did you know that you can hire Steely Dan for the low price of $500,000-$749,000? (source: Celebrity Talent International) If I crowdfunded them to play at my birthday, would you guys come? I will for sure be reviewing Can't Buy a Thrill soon.
So what does Blondshell intend with this line? I really don't know. Maybe she's trying to embrace her inner prog rock dad. Maybe she wants to convey her desire to break free from the confines of what is societally acceptable through her own bodily agency. Maybe she just thought it sounded goofy. But the dildo thing in mind, "Somebody needs to get fucked or get a toy", she's probably just read Naked Lunch.
Man- Kind of an afterthought.
Model Rockets- Thank god it's over.
In summary, I think I dislike this album because it is a deeply personal memoir of her 20s. It is incredibly vulnerable but also comes across as her wallowing in self-pity. I resent overly coming of age themes because it reminds me of things I don't want to be reminded of. It annoys the shit out of me. It also annoys me because I want it to be sonically punchier and rawer because that's what I would do. Maybe you'll like it more than me.