On Oct. 13, rising pop icon Troye Sivan released his third studio album titled “Something To Give Each Other.” This album followed two singles, “Rush” and “Got Me Started,” both of which appear on the album and gave fans a high-production music video paired with innovative choreography, showing us just what kind of music to expect from the upcoming album.
Sivan has been in the public eye since his early stardom as a child actor and impactful coming out on YouTube in 2013. Sivan is openly gay and his music displays pride in his sexuality.
“Rush” rocked the summer, with its rhythmic beat and easy-to-learn lyrics. The second single, “Got Me Started,” is similar in that it is a joyous pop song with synth instrumentals and lyrics that highlight Sivan’s sexual experimentation in a tasteful and honest way.
Now that “Something To Give Each Other” is finally here, I can confidently say that it lives up to the hype these two songs created.
This album was experimental for Sivan. Some songs focus more on his sexual exploration than what fans are used to and other songs feature lots of autotune, which is new for Sivan. There are also songs that are reminiscent of his roots in indie pop while showcasing his growth as an artist.
The second track on this album is another that just makes you want to dance, titled “What’s The Time Where You Are?” The song is about longing for someone despite the distance. This is a song I gravitated towards during my first listen because it is so upbeat and unforgettable with lyrics like “international through line to my heart / this beat is makin’ me move / but, God, I wish it was you.”
The next song on the album, “One Of Your Girls,” continues the theme of danceable beats but has more distinctive lyrics. The song spotlights Sivan’s desire for someone who is unattainable because they are famous and straight. It is incredibly contemplative, putting earnest lyrics like “nobody wants you bad as I do / baby, let me plead my case” through autotune.
The song “Silly” was an autotune and vocal experiment for Sivan as he stated for Spotify’s storyline feature. While it is yet another brilliant dance song, it is icier about the way it talks about desire. The song features a chorus sung in falsetto, duetting Sivan’s autotune.
“In My Room” features Spanish singer Álvaro Lafuente Calvo, also known as Guitarricadelafuente. It is a cheery song centered around the feelings of crushing on someone. The song pairs Guitarricadelafuente’s Spanish chorus with Sivan’s optimistic verses.
Despite all these rosy pop beats and night-life centered lyrics, the album is still nostalgic of Sivan’s sentimentality from past works while also fitting into his new genre. An example of this is the song “Honey,” a bright track about having the courage to tell your lovers what they mean to you. The song’s lyric “I see love in every space / I see sex in every city, every town,” felt like the mission statement of the whole album for Sivan, as he stated for Storyline by Spotify.
This sentimentality is continued when the album slows down for “Still Got It.” This song is a change of pace in its lyrics and its instrumentals. The song is about running into an old lover and realizing that they have everything you fell in love with and you still want them.
“Can’t Go Back, Baby” immediately follows, which is equally as heart breaking. The song feels gravely personal as it details a relationship that Sivan misses deeply but knows that he is better off without. This is seen in the lyric “And it breaks my heart to say, I can’t wait to live without you.”
Finally, the album closes out with a track titled “How To Stay With You.” It opens with a metaphor about flowers, a potential nod to Sivan’s 2018 hit “Bloom.” The song is a jazzy track about wanting to be with someone but the timing just isn’t right. The track features a saxophone outro, closing out the album on a hopeful note with excitement for what the future holds.
You can definitely tell that Sivan had a lot of fun making this album and I think that’s part of the reason I love it so much. This work is unmistakably about love and growth, backdropped by groovy beats adorned with silly autotune and honesty.
5/5 stars
jhammer@ramapo.edu
Featured photo courtesy of @troyesivan, X
