Slayyyter is the moment. Since launching into the hyperpop stratosphere in 2018, the singer has quickly amassed a devoted following and paved a unique lane for herself in the post-PC Music landscape, becoming a celebrated popstar for the Internet age. But that doesn’t mean things have been easy for her in these short three years, and Troubled Paradise — her sprawling and aptly-titled debut album — is the culmination of her initial success coming to a head in both fantastical and terrifying ways.
Largely eschewing the Y2K aesthetic and sound of her self-titled mixtape, the singer takes visual inspiration from The Wizard of Oz and sonically with the edgier pop of the aughts, namely Avril Lavigne (heard most aggressively in single “Over This!”) and Gwen Stefani, while exploring more conventional sounds on club bangers in the triptych of “Butterflies…,” the title track, and “Clouds” at the heart of the record.
But the real change-up here is Slayyyter’s lyricism. Though she often retains the raunchy and campy songwriting that defined her earliest work on the first half of the album — namely “Venom,” “Throatzillaaa” (guess what it’s about!), and “Dog House” — the singer strips away most of the fantasy in later tracks. Paranoia is the bread and butter of “Serial Killer” and “Villain,” “Clouds” highlights past suicidal ideation, and “Cowboys” tackles heartbreak using an extended rodeo metaphor; all roads lead to closer “Letters,” the singer’s first ballad and a vocodered ode to a devoted partner. It’s sweet, and proves that Troubled Paradise could launch Slayyyter into further stardom.
Rating: 8.5/10
Standout tracks: “Throatzillaaa,” “Troubled Paradise,” “Cowboys,” “Over This!”