Hypnotising hits intertwined with vulnerable, catchy tracks catapult Troye Sivan’s third album, ‘Something to Give Each Other’, to new heights of dance-pop perfection. The Australian YouTuber-turned-pop-star finds his footing on a record that balances the deep richness of his baritone vocals with a delicate sweetness and vulnerability through his soft lyricism.
Since his 2015 debut ‘Blue Neighbourhood’, Troye Sivan has continued to prove his place in pop – reinventing himself with every era while maintaining his unique and genre-defying sound. On ‘Something to Give Each Other’, Sivan’s first full album in five years, the 28-year-old floods your ears with exhilarating electro-pop, exploring concepts of sensuality, love, and loss. The diverse themes and sounds makes this an album to carry you from solo listening in your bedroom to the centre of a crowded dance floor. ‘One of Your Girls’ stands out as the pinnacle of Troye Sivan the artist, delivering a semblance of Y2K beats under punchy, repeated one liners – “Face card, no cash, no credit” – that will have you coming back to the song again and again.
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Each track on ‘Something To Give Each Other’ can evoke a chuckle, a smile, a tear, or a gasp. ‘Silly’ conjures the former as you get lost in the buzzy techno sound, while ‘Can’t Go Back, Baby’ evokes a multitude of emotions with lyrics like “I wish you weren’t dead to me – so much to missing you” and “more than just my enemy, you are my lover too.” Armed with a plethora of killer, quotable lines, Sivan softens the delivery with his soothing vocals against a horror-movie-like backtrack that’s guaranteed to catch you off guard.
A wave of bubbling emotion and challenging energy is palpable throughout ‘Something to Give Each Other’, but somehow each transition goes over smoothly and not a single track feels out of place. Instead, it sounds more like a perfectly curated playlist that can guide you through each emotional headspace. This is why ‘Honey’ is the perfect album closer, a track that not only encapsulates the steaminess that ‘Something to Give Each Other’ offers, but also exudes a subdued softness that runs throughout the whole album.“Give me the courage to say all the things I mean,” Troye Sivan croons on the opening line, as he confirms to the listener they have partaken in a shared experience of catharsis and optimism over the previous ten tracks. An uplifting album with a distant and ever present sadness culminates on a high note, and then right before you know it, you’ll start it all over again.
9/10
Words: Lauren Dehollogne
Dig This? Dig Deeper: Lauv, Conan Gray, Charli XCX
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