Rina Sawayama - Hold The Girl

[huttont 5,037]

Just listened yesterday and after a few listens now, it’s gonna be one of my favorite releases this year.

Top 5: Hold The Girl, Catch Me, Holy, This Hell, Frankenstein

[GypsyVida 5,907]

IMAGINING SUPREMACY

[Brizel 593]

Your age and imagining  = angst anthems

[elijahfan 25,225]

I must have incredibly bad taste, because that’s literally one of the best albums I heard this year. Don’t know what’s up with y’all.

[Simon 1,155]

Frankenstein, Imagining and Hold The Girl are my top3. But Frankenstein is really something else.

Honorable mentions: This Hell and Your Age

[DoremonLove 8,144]

I love this album i think more thn sawayama.  Minor feeling, this hell, Frankenstein, hurricane. My top fav. 

[tyler k 5,028]

honestly if an album is THIS polarizing, the artist did something right! (tho, the album currently has an 84 on Metacritic & has received more or less big critical acclaim)

I totally do understand why someone wouldnt vibe with this album, similarly to SAWAYAMA - both albums are LOUD & PROUD and quite abrasive at times, but like in the best way possible imo

If there's anything I agree with in that lame P*tchf*rk review was this, "an attempt to merge the full-throated spectacle of Born This Way with the surviving-through-trauma emotionality of Chromatica" and this is not to compare Rina & Gaga's artistry but I understand this sentiment. HTG gives me that big chatoic boldness of BTW and the dancing through your pain of Chromatic, if that makes any sense? I mean this in a highly positive way, as we know Gaga's a huge influence on Rina.

After a few listens and sitting with it and reading lyrics, I do think Hold The Girl is one of the best pop albums of the year. It's not better than SAWAYAMA, but it's pretty close. They're both different albums and I am happy that Rina seems to be pushing herself further in terms of defining what HER brand of pop sounds like. 

It's nostalgic, smartly written with some of the catchiest hooks that I keep finding myself brought back to songs that didn't seem to stick with me at first. Forgiveness is a great example, that yodel-like hook in the chorus is sooooo pretty! same with Phantom & Hurricanes which are QUICKLY growing on me. The run from Holy (Til You Let Me Go) to Frankenstein absolutely scalps me, some of the weirdest & unique (!) sounding dance-pop songs i've heard this year. also, Hold the Girl (title track) is easily one of Rina's best songs, I love it even more within the album.

I feel that this album will grow on a lot of fans who aren't obsessed rn by the end of the year

[nATAH 44,196]

Holy one of the best songs of 2022 i fear....

[Adrenaliner 3,726]

Can someone explain the meaning of Hold the Girl?

[OMonster 14,636]

1 hour ago, Adrenaliner said:

Can someone explain the meaning of Hold the Girl?

"Hold The Girl" is a phrase Rina has coined to represent how, in therapy and in life, she has learnt to 'reach out' and 'hold' (care for/love) her inner-child... the child that went through a lot of trauma and made her the complex person she is today. By holding that girl - instead of holding onto and internalising the shame she felt - Rina has been able to heal her trauma and feel for the first time what it feels like 'to be alive'. That is the journey the album takes us on: from Rina experiencing trauma in her childhood to finally becoming free. 

[Adrenaliner 3,726]

36 minutes ago, OMonster said:

"Hold The Girl" is a phrase Rina has coined to represent how, in therapy and in life, she has learnt to 'reach out' and 'hold' (care for/love) her inner-child... the child that went through a lot of trauma and made her the complex person she is today. By holding that girl - instead of holding onto and internalising the shame she felt - Rina has been able to heal her trauma and feel for the first time what it feels like 'to be alive'. That is the journey the album takes us on: from Rina experiencing trauma in her childhood to finally becoming free. 

Omg that makes so much sense! What a beautiful concept 

i interpreted it to my struggle with drugs and how I need to ”hold on to the real me” and remember who I truly am inside

[LadyEnigma 1,065]

give Rina her grammy

[migamiga 12,101]

interesting how polarizing this album is. i was honestly not that excited for the album cause the singles felt lackluster but once i got hit with your age, imaging, frankenstein, and hurricane one after another i changed my mind. hurricane is pop perfection for me and i’m surprised not that many people are talking about it. i think the singles sound way better as a whole and the album is solid (although the back half is way stronger than the first half)

[HausOfAntonio 7,995]

On 9/17/2022 at 4:24 AM, SpiritBunny said:

The most forgettable album i've heard in a while. 

You must have terrible memory 

[StrawberryBlond 14,267]

Surprised that so many of you are quite muted towards this. I thought it was on par with her debut or a bit above. Granted, I'm just a casual fan and when that's the case, we can clash with stans on what's good and bad. Unlike many, I loved This Hell and am still mystified as to what her fans didn't see in it. I think her other singles have been ok with Phantom being one of the best. I think the final part of the album is definitely stronger. After an on/off start and a rocky middle section, from track 10 onwards, it's gets better and the last 3 songs see us out in style. Send My Love To John made me tear up and the singing from a completely different perspective wasn't even something I thought she'd do and it caught me off-guard but was such a beautiful take on a real issue. And Phantom and To Be Alive really connected with the album's theme and were very emotional and relatable, with her vocals being divine. Oh, and the Japanese bonus track, Flavour of the Month was decent campy fun too. Overall, I think Rina has great potential but her work is still veering between extremes for me. I disagree with some people saying anyone could've released it, though, as it seems to hit on the distinct style she carved out in her debut and not many artists switch to all different genres in one album like she can. But the actual quality needs to be consistent across more tracks. I really hope she at least gets British award recognition at least in the form of nominations this time now that that ridiculous rule of her not being considered enough of a British citizen no longer stands (I think).