★★★★☆
Currently, albums like Lana Del Rey's Born To Die and Lorde's Pure Heroine sit at the base of the flowing river of indie pop music, spreading their influences to all of the inhabitants of the realm. Like many emerging artists this year, Australia-based singer-songwriter Troye Sivan has taken advantage of the trip-pop trend and drowned his first major-label extended play (released today) in the genre with unsurprisingly impressive results.
On TRXYE, Sivan's smooth tenor-range voice slides over his sultry instrumentals. Lyrically, on songs like "Fun" and his break-through track "Happy Little Pill," Sivan reflects on typical rebellious teenage ponders. The former song begins in a lonely place before expanded synths bring an uptempo chorus as Sivan sings, "Let's go have fun, you and me in the old Jeep / Ride around town with our rifles on the front seat." Meanwhile, "Happy Little Pill" is an atmospheric euphoria with a killer pre-chorus and chorus. The first few faux-problematic lines of the pre-chorus cover are enough to draw listeners in: "Oh, glazed eyes, empty hearts / Buying happy from shopping carts / Nothing but time to kill / Sipping life from bottles."
The remaining three songs on this extended play cover the subject of love. "Touch" has an impressive electronic breakdown, while "Gasoline" is a down-tempo trippy ballad in which Sivan sings the relatively cliché "You set my heart on fire like gasoline." The conclusive track was inspired by John Green's novel The Fault in Our Stars and shares the same name. I've never read the book, but I do know the synopsis, so I can assume that this song conveys just as much emotion as the book. Sivan's reverberated vocals and the airy production make for a very relaxing listen.
With TRXYE, Sivan adds himself to a growing list of promising new artists of 2014. At only 19 years old, he and 17-year-old Lorde could quite possibly be both the present and the future of the indie-pop scene if they play their cards correctly. One listen to this extended play proves that "Happy Little Pill" isn't the only trick he has up his sleeve and a full-length effort could let his full potential shine. But in the mean time, TRXYE will quench the Troye Sivan thirst that everyone is suffering.
TRXYE is available now digitally worldwide and in CD format in Australia.
With TRXYE, Sivan adds himself to a growing list of promising new artists of 2014. At only 19 years old, he and 17-year-old Lorde could quite possibly be both the present and the future of the indie-pop scene if they play their cards correctly. One listen to this extended play proves that "Happy Little Pill" isn't the only trick he has up his sleeve and a full-length effort could let his full potential shine. But in the mean time, TRXYE will quench the Troye Sivan thirst that everyone is suffering.
TRXYE is available now digitally worldwide and in CD format in Australia.
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