Get ready to put your headphones on, pop princess Addison Rae dropped yet another catchy single this past Friday. Rae’s latest musical endeavor, “Headphones On,” follows multiple single releases after her feature on Charli XCX’s “Von Dutch” last summer.
“Headphones On” is a synth-y track featuring Rae’s breathy, whispered vocals and a mellow pop beat.
“So I put my headphones on / listen to my favorite song / soaking up the rain / letting my hair down,” Rae sings in the chorus.
The track is about using music as an escape when life’s got you down. This is emphasized in the verses with Rae detailing points in her life where music has helped her escape reality.
Rae has been in the spotlight since she gained traction on TikTok as a content creator in 2019. She is no stranger to music, however, as Rae has been releasing pop music since 2021. Despite this, Rae is painting her latest releases in a new light, working on a total rebrand for the past few months. This started with the release of “Diet Pepsi” last August. Since then, she has released “Aquamarine” and “High Fashion.”
To be honest, the lyrics of this song are a little ridiculous, but this is a theme in Rae’s recent releases especially with the track “High Fashion,” dropped back in February.
Rae’s latest music has a little bit of an ironic air that she established early in her rebrand with the slightly silly lyrics of “Diet Pepsi” and solidified it with her over-the-top dancing and acting in the accompanying music video. “Headphones On” is no different, having a similar vibe in the lyrics of the chorus.
Rae clearly is using her rebrand into a more dance-pop genre to have more fun with her music and I think that’s why I feel forgiving about the lack of depth in the lyrics. The chorus is catchy and the beat is easy to dance to; that seems to be all that matters to Rae, so it’s all that matters to me.
Rae is set to release her first and supposedly last album “Addison” this June. Until then, I’ll have my headphones on, looping Addison Rae — can you tell I love being able to make that pun?
4/5 stars
jhammer@ramapo.edu
Featured photo courtesy of @Addisonraee, Instagram
