By Antonio Starks
She’s The Best: A fun and interesting instrumental that clangs against the ear drums in a good way. The monotone vocals compliment the full instrumental and make the celebration of women and fems clearer than it might be in a more varied and musical vocal delivery. The song has places where the music tones itself down, but swells up again in a satisfying up and down. A very heartfelt celebration of Women and fems through the lens of a queer man. A lovely and loud beginning to this album that is not only the title track, but sets the tone well.
Canada Dry: A fun house track, electronic elements that harken back to Sivan’s 2023 project Something to Give Each Other. A perfect pop melody within the vocals. It’s addictive and sensual and unabashedly gay. A track that’s perfect for a pregame or the song that’s played while entering the first club of the night. Nearing the end, the vocal filter is very interesting, but I wish it stayed longer.
Party: Another house track that’s meant for the club. Very contagious beat that melds well with the high-pitch melodic singing. The instrumental provides a lot for the listener to chew on. It’s not too busy, but it’s definitely a good meal for the ears. Although a very good club dance track, it doesn’t provide much new, but it’s not trying to be innovative, it’s trying to get the listener to move. It fits nicely with the dance music revival of the mid-2020’s.
I Do This For You: A very interesting beat and production that’s reminiscent of the 90’s, especially with the percussion and the keys. The lyrics show a confident and generous side of Sivan. The instrumental is very melodic at points and much less focused on the club and dance aspects while still holding those elements within its gestalt. While the lyrics definitely allude to sexual fulfillment and monetary haughtiness, there is somewhat of a bittersweetness in the combination of the production with the lyrics.
Cowboy: A stark difference from the movement-heavy, dance tracks in the first half of the album. The song has a more homey feel, especially with the instrumental having folk and country inspired elements. Very optimistic and bright instrumental, but while still holding some of that bittersweetness from the last track. The lyrics hold a yearning and desire that ties Sivan’s work together thematically. This track feels more generally pop, but it’s still a fun and enjoyable track.
Embarrassingly: The track opens with an acoustic strumming that transitions from the previous track, the strumming while a jump-scare is a welcome surprise, especially when paired with the percussion and Sivan’s intimate voice. The track while feeling intimate and close during verses, it really opens up during the pre-chorus and chorus. The instrumental deceptively includes a good amount of elements, adlibs, counter-melodies, etc while still feeling simple. The song ends abruptly and that can mess with the atmosphere that the track has laid down for the listener.
Le Boy: The track starts with an interesting vocal filter and simpler instrumental, but explodes into a wall of sound. The vocals feel much clearer and closer when compared with the previous tracks. Vocally there’s also more runs and interesting changes in key. The overall melody is somehow a mix of Corinne Bailey Rae and The Goo Goo Dolls with an RnB aftertaste. Though a beautiful track, this song could’ve been more expansive and brave. It’s a short and sweet song.
Sex Star: This song brings that underlying melancholy to the forefront of the instrumental, juxtaposed to suggestive lyrics that combine feelings of wanting to be wanted and sexualized by the world, but also by a certain someone. This one is even shorter than the last track.
Troye Meets The World: An addictive and electronic track akin to Pinkpantheress. The bright and poppy melody snaps the listener in a full musical world and takes them on a fun journey. There’s various elements that come and go and then come back again, yet the track still feels cohesive and complete. Much like Pinkpantheress, this song is also on the shorter side.
FF: A moody and sensual track that fills the ear with a romantic and intimate curiosity. It has a lovely melody and sentiment. The lyrics are spoken plainly and puts the listener in Sivan’s headspace in a way that’s easily understood. Rock elements also supplement the instrumental, with that modern pop percussion that makes the track feel as if it’s steadily walking to the beat of a romance movie. The lyrics, while sensual and human, still have a cheeky and comedic side to them in the chorus.
Love So Big It Hurts: More romantic strings and acoustic in this track. The melody and production had a folk quality, showing some similarity to “Cowboy” and “Embarrassingly”. The instrumental has an organic up and down throughout the short track. It ends abruptly.
Lost Time: The last track features Lily-Rose Depp as the one and only feature. The autotune somewhat feels like a late 2010’s track and the Lo-Fi instrumental captures an exquisite mood. Like most of the album, there is love peeking and weaving throughout much of the tone. The song rides the line between modern and nostalgic really expertly. The active vowel stretching and runs makes the vocals really shine on this song. The guitar is a wonderful addition to this song that the ears can hone in one while letting the overall music overtake them.
Overall, She’s The Best by Troye Sivan employs themes of love, celebration, and sexuality in an emotional, electronic pop classic.
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