By: Tiffany Chang, Peak Associate
After two long years since his last album, Australian singer Troye Sivan released his new EP, In A Dream, at the end of August. As a long-time fan, I was really excited to hear it. Sivan is primarily known for producing pop music with evident melancholic and autobiographical elements.
While many of the tracks on In A Dream include these elements, I found that none truly evoke the same kind of intense emotion as his first studio album, Blue Neighbourhood (2015) — a beautifully crafted masterpiece for songs combining heartbreaking messages and stunning tones.
On In A Dream, the focus seems to be less on lyrics. Though “Take Yourself Home” possesses meaningful lyrics like, “Got everything and nothing in my life” and “Who you really tryna be when you see your face,” it concludes with a lengthy instrumental that, albeit interesting, extends for slightly longer than necessary. This takes away from the potential this song has in terms of having a stronger emotional impact. “STUD” is fun and includes just the right amount of sultriness. Nonetheless, the excess of added effects in its latter half ultimately cause a lack of overall cohesion.
“Easy” and “Rager teenager!” with their upbeat tempos remain the best and catchiest tunes on the EP. The pure nostalgia they evoke make them shine amongst the rest. As well, “Rager teenager!” is the closest to Blue Neighbourhood’s storytelling level as Sivan fluidly describes an incident where encountering a person he hasn’t seen for years causes him to want to relive the fun he had as a teen. “IN A DREAM” is also fast-paced, and the component of In A Dream that gives Sivan the most room to showcase his vocal prowess.
Undoubtedly, Sivan consistently speaks his unapologetic truth through quality tunes. What I love the most about him is how his distinct, ethereal sound encompasses cool textures and gives off vibes that I don’t feel from any other chart-topping artists. Although In A Dream is not my favourite project of his, listeners can always count on him for refreshing contributions to the music scene.
