Vulnerability and vibrant electronic pop music is what you’ll find on Rebecca Black’s newest album “SALVATION.” The seven song album was released independently on Feb. 27 following two stellar singles.
The track “TRUST!” was the first taste fans received of Black’s new album. Released last October, “TRUST!” is a sultry dance pop track and was the song that put Black on my radar as an artist to watch. It features a sexy electric guitar melody and a pulsing bass made just for the dancefloor.
The song’s breathy and seductive verses are punctuated by the sound of sharp whip cracks, emphasizing the leather and latex theme and the trust that goes into any relationship.
The second single released ahead of “SALVATION” is titled “Sugar Water Cyanide.” This track is an energetic pop song with an erratic bass and vocal distortion. These elements, combined with the sporadic mixing and confident club-centric lyrics, makes “Sugar Water Cyanide” a fun addition to any dance party playlist.
The album opens with the title track “Salvation,” another creatively crafted pop song that focuses on Black’s security with her sexuality.
On a 2020 episode of the “Dating Straight” podcast, Black spoke about how she views sexuality as a spectrum and feels most comfortable labeling herself with the term “queer.”
“Every day is different,” Black said on the podcast. “To me, the word ‘queer’ feels really nice.”
The song “Salvation” shares verses detailing a relationship with a woman broken up with a chorus that highlights Black’s identity as queer. The chorus specifies that Black is in no need of saving — especially through the common homophobic ideology that queer people need religious salvation.
“You think I’m on fire, but the fire feels like paradise / I don’t need you to save me / I already saved myself,” Black sings in the chorus. She follows this with her second verse, singing “secret kisses on the bar / covered in her lipstick marks / leave ‘em on like pretty scars.”
The fourth electrifying track is titled “American Doll.” The song is upbeat featuring Black’s strong and empowering vocals backed by a darker pop instrumental. It feels like a pointed retribution referencing the backlash Black faced at just 13-years-old with the release of her debut single “Friday.”
The music video for the “Friday” made a scene in 2011 garnering a lot of negative attention — it is still one of the most disliked videos on YouTube with more than four million thumbs down.
For the ninth anniversary of the music video, Black posted to Instagram, mentioning that after “Friday” was released she felt ashamed of herself and like she couldn’t talk about her depression. She also spoke about being bullied in school and turned down by producers because of her reputation with the song.
“American Doll” is a testament of how far Black has come, musically and emotionally. Black sings about the unachievable standards for women and the way she saw herself in her teenage and young adult years — always nice, smiling, silent, apologetic and petite. Now, Black characterizes herself as anything but, refusing to conform to these standards.
“Did you like me better then? / Do you wanna hate me now? / Playin’ pretty and pretend,” she sings in the chorus. “Do you like the girl you see? / Strong, but so petite / She’ll take your compliments and spit ’em out.”
Following track five “Tears In My Pocket” is “Do You Even Think About Me?” This track starts slow with a synthy piano as Black sings about a bad breakup. When the chorus starts, an isolated bass drumming like an irregular heartbeat emerges behind Black’s beautiful vocalizations, becoming more intense as the seconds tick by.
The song picks up its pace turning into another pop track highlighting Black’s frustrations at feeling stuck in the wake of a long dead relationship — hoping the other person feels the same.
The album closes out with “Twist The Knife,” featuring another danceable bass track that has been a prominent component in every song on “SALVATION.”
Despite being full of lively dance music, this album features some vulnerability from Black. She has been in the spotlight for awhile and is finally confident enough to be completely and unapologetically herself in it. The more I listened to “SALVATION” the more I loved it. It is apparent how much Black has grown and I cannot wait to see how she moves forward in her music career.
5/5 stars
jhammer@ramapo.edu
Featured photo courtesy of @msrebeccablack, Instagram
