Troye Sivan is a guy that I have watched take over the music world on pure talent and a special kind of humility and kindness. From a YouTube career that started in his bedroom, to a music career that takes him across the globe on headlining tours, Troye is someone I will always be happy to support and I’m so excited to say that the day has finally come: Troye’s sophomore album, Bloom, is now available everywhere!
It feels like only yesterday I was hitting play on his debut full-length album, Blue Neighbourhood. Now we’re here three years later. So much growth and change has happened. I feel like I’ve grown up a bit alongside Troye and I am so excited to see where this album takes him. Continue reading to see my track-by-track review of Bloom.
S E V E N T E E N
Compared to the singles we’ve gotten to hear, Seventeen is a bit darker than the rest. Sound-wise, I’m obsessed. Troye’s vocals are beautiful (per usual) and the instrumentals are light and kind of flow through you in the best way.
Lyrically, we’re taken on a journey of what feels like a relationship between a 17-year-old and someone much older and experienced. It’s a little concerning, but the story is told by someone looking back on when they were young and experiencing love for the first time. It doesn’t feel dangerous, but it doesn’t necessarily feel safe. It’s kind of just like Troye is saying, “I was young, and maybe dumb because of my age, but this is my truth.”
I appreciate the honesty and I listened to this track five times before moving on to the next.
M Y M Y MY !
Ah, one of my faves.
Troye Sivan has this sort of signature thing he does during performances where he sort of just waves his arms and moves his shoulders a lot and you can 100% tell he’s feeling the music. That’s the best way I can describe myself when listening to My My My! — I get a serious case of Troye Sivan arm waves.
T H E G O O D S I D E
The first time I ever listened to The Good Side back in January, it moved me to tears. It still does when I’m feeling extra reminiscent and emo.
This song is a reflection of a relationship wherein Troye got the ‘good side’ of the breakup — he got to go off and travel the world, he had an outlet (his blossoming music career) for the emotions that breakup brought about, and he ended up meeting someone new. My breath is always taken away by this track because of Troye’s honesty and willingness to recognize his position in the breakup in comparison to the other person. I think that’s beautiful.
The song is an apology, acknowledgement, understanding, reminiscence, and hope for the future.
B L O O M
Cue the arm waves, but add in some dramatic hair flips. Bloom is such a fun track, and I knew it was a great single choice the moment I heard it. It’s a solid pop song and has been on repeat all summer.
I adore the double entendre we get with this, but I also really enjoy the surface level meaning of it — it’s a representation of the growth Troye has undergone over the past few years and the love that has entered his life. As a longtime fan, this song really makes me feel genuine happiness for him. He deserves every ounce of success and I only want the best for him and his career.
P O S T C A R D
On Postcard, Troye sings about moments when your partner doesn’t return your attention and is, for lack of a better word, neglectful in your relationship. It’s heart-wrenching and a place that most of us have been in, whether the relationship be romantic or platonic.
I also enjoy the featured artist, Gordi. Her vocals are beautiful and work wonderfully with Troye’s. My favorite thing Troye did on Blue Neighbourhood was his collaborations with underground artists. It added a different element to the entire album and was nice to hear new voices with one I already love. I am so happy he brought that experience back for a moment on this album.
D A N C E T O T H I S
I don’t hate Ariana Grande. I think she’s wicked talented and obviously has a great voice and she’s actually really funny and I know she’s a kind person. But I have to be honest. I put off listening to Dance To This for so long because I knew she was the featured artist on it. I feared I wouldn’t enjoy it because her music/sound isn’t what I like to listen to. I can’t quite put my finger on why, so don’t ask (trust me, that frustrates me more than it frustrates you, my life would be 100x easier if I just enjoyed her music).
I enjoy the story of the song. Sound wise? Not really my cup of tea. I know this is a majorly toned down dance track, but even then, it still feels too dance-track for me. It also felt a little jarring hearing Troye and Ariana’s voices together — not at all because it sounds bad, but because I know Ariana’s voice so well and as I said before, I like and prefer the whole vibe of a new/underground artist feature (Blue Neighbourhood ruined me).
P L U M
I stan Plum with every fiber of my being. Arm waves, hair flips, feet tapping, and finger snaps are in abundance when I listen to this song. I’m really upset I wasn’t able to have it on my summer playlist this year.
While the track is a big metaphor for a breakup, you can’t help but completely vibe and feel good listening to it.
W H A T A H E A V E N L Y W A Y T O D I E
What A Heavenly Way To Die is a nice come down from the high energy of Plum. It’s a really sweet love song that I can only assume was written about and for his boyfriend. Overall, it is an enjoyable and sweet song, but I’m not fully hooked on it yet after the first few listens.
L U C K Y S T R I K E
Another dance track, but this one grows on me with every subsequent listen. I adore the lyrics, “And my boy like a queen, unlike one you’ve ever seen.” I see many Instagram captions with these lyrics in the near future.
Also this is sort of a side note, but when I picture a music video for this, I picture something set in the 1950s/60s. This is 100% because of a few media/journalism classes I took in college where we had to study old cigarette ads — which were always primarily Lucky Strike ads. (For those that don’t know, before advertising laws and all that jazz came into place, companies could claim crazy things about their products in their ads. For cigarette companies, this included saying that cigarettes were good for your health. So I had to look at many 50s/60s Lucky Strike ads in college over the years when learning about advertising, and now I always automatically associate them with that time period.)
A N I M A L
Animal is the perfect closer to Bloom. It’s a soft pop song that slowly builds and weaves its way into your heart. Every aspect of it — lyrics, vocals, instrumentals — is epic and satisfying, creating one five minute, soul-encompassing profession of love.
Rating: ★★★★☆
Selina Falcon 