Pitchfork Praises Addison Debut Album. Receives An 8

[RAMROD 108,240]

 

Rae’s debut album, Addison, floats in on a swell of goodwill following a string of improbably great singles, each one a little weirder than the last. Last August’s effervescent “Diet Pepsi” felt a bit like early Lana in the star-spangled coquetry of its parking lot romance. But where Del Rey sang her torch songs with cool resignation, Rae’s layered vocals seemed to buzz with woozy warmth, punctuated here and there with “Ahh!”s of satisfaction. Its followup, “Aquamarine,” has grown on me since fall—a four-on-the-floor siren song which eagerly begged comparison to Madonna’s Ray of Light or Kylie Minogue’s Fever. The moody minor chords of February’s “High Fashion” were less primed for the charts than for a cuddle puddle at an after-hours flophouse. And there was poignance in the downcast trip-hop of fourth single “Headphones On,” which faced the doldrums with a cigarette and a stiff upper lip. In the video, Rae pops in a pair of wired earbuds and is whisked off from her day job to a manic pixie dream world.

If Addison has a narrative throughline, it’s one you’ve heard before, in which a plucky ingénue strikes out for fame and fortune in the wacky world of showbiz. But Rae is at her most delightful balancing camp and sincerity on starry-eyed numbers in which all the world’s a stage. “You’ve got a front row seat, and I/I’ve got a taste of the glamorous life,” she trills on “Fame is a gun” with just a whiff of desperation, a callback to another Britney adage. (“There’s only two types of people in the world,” Spears sang knowingly on “Circus.” “The ones that entertain and the ones that observe.”) She opens “Money is Everything” with a faux-naive stage whisper: “When I was growing up, Momma always told me to save my money so I never had to rely on a man to take care of me,” purrs the girl who claimed that she dropped her Southern accent because “Marilyn Monroe never said ‘y’all.’” “But money’s not coming with me to heaven—and I have a lot of it!” Rae presses on. “So can’t a girl just have fun?” Cue the beat drop and the chorus, a slightly psycho girl choir whose “Lemonade”-esque harmonies sound like they’re being shouted from the sunroof of a speeding car.

In Rae’s first cover story earlier this year, there’s a quote from Charli xcx—her mentor-slash-bestie whose “Von Dutch” remix marked the first time that Rae came off as cool—that’s been rattling around my head. “Everything she does relates back to her art,” said Charli of her friend’s evolution. “Every item of clothing she wears, everything she says in a red carpet interview, everything she tweets—it all is a part of the world-building.” Initially, I found the idea depressing: a teenage girl who’d changed her life performing to a phone camera, now optimizing her every move for the aesthetic. Then again, there’s something potent in Rae’s winking performance—a borderline unhinged devotion to the American promise that a person’s destiny is entirely in their hands. Why not trade small-town boredom for gonzo Hollywood glam? Why not conspire against reality in favor of romance? Towards the end of the Frou Frou-esque “Times Like These,” Rae hears her own song on the radio and wonders aloud: “Let’s see how far I go.”

https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/addison-rae-addison/

Edited 13 hours ago by RAMROD

[RichAssPiss 4,886]

I didn't care for all the singles on their own, but the album plays through pretty well. It sounds like Lana produced by A.G. Cook (Charli XCX). 8 seems high to me, but it's solid. 

[Morphine Prince 105,078]

And they would be correct.

2025 so far has been filled with lackluster releases from a lot of artists, but this album was a pleasant surprise. 

[Ladle Ghoulash 21,712]

Suddenly, the liddos love Pitchfork 

[Ladle Ghoulash 21,712]

15 minutes ago, RichAssPiss said:

I didn't care for all the singles on their own, but the album plays through pretty well. It sounds like Lana produced by A.G. Cook (Charli XCX). 8 seems high to me, but it's solid. 

Yeah, I agree. It’s a pretty solid record, but I think it’s a bit overhyped (and, imo, a bit same-y throughout). Certainly wouldn’t say it’s on par with MAYHEM.

[ANVEEROY 61,071]

Undeserved 

[River 114,663]

It's a 6.5 album, it's not bad, not a masterpiece 

 

[Killa 17,357]

An 8.0 lol , havent listened to It. Im enjoying the ride with Addison but this Is Just like saying oh were betting in the possible cool underdog before the others

[Addison Rae 16,302]

oh goddison rae the acclaimed artist you are 

[Jakesnyders673 23]

Feels like they did Miley really dirty when they gave this an 8.0 and Something Beautiful a 5.6. 

[Zedd 6,248]

comparison to Lana, Maddona, and most of all, Britney... f*gs do everything to not mention Gaga 

[Emvee 8,250]

16 minutes ago, Zedd said:

comparison to Lana, Maddona, and most of all, Britney... f*gs do everything to not mention Gaga 

Nothing I’ve heard or seen from Addison gives me Gaga AT ALL. On the other hand, I do see the other 3 to some degree. 
 

And that’s neither praise nor shade. Gaga just doesn’t do that mellow, pristine, whisper pop- like ever. Even The Cure had grittiness and powerhouse energy. 

Edited 11 hours ago by Emvee

[ALGAYDO 32,025]

This feel right?

[Monstermilo 4,368]

i hate that cuz its not absolute garbage, ppl are praising it as if its as good as mayhem. 

it will never be as good cuz the lyrics suck and cuz addison CANNOT sing, anyone whos not tone deaf can hear how bad her vocals are on this album

[Rat Boy 43,286]

**** that’s a high score!!