Carly Rae Jepsen - EMOTION SIDE B

Carly Rae Jepsen
EMOTION SIDE B
2016
Spotify

Last year's EMOTION by Carly Rae Jepsen, Her follow up to the breakout success of "Call Me Maybe", was a pop music delight. She proved with that record that she was more than a flash in the pan and forged a place for herself in the indie pop scene. EMOTION  was critically heralded, by myself as well, but it seemed like people just were not willing to get on board. It's actually pretty fucking maddening, but I am assuming the results will be similar with the reviews and reception of this companion to the album EMOTION SIDE B. The first three tracks are packed with so much Electropop goodness that sucks you right in to her day glow world. her grasp of what makes a great hook and a catchy pop tune is so evident throughout the record as choice after choice continues to pay off. While it is only 28 minutes long, so much is packed in that you feel like each one of the tracks very well may be a hit, or should be anyway. Songs like "Body Language" and "The One" directly use the sounds of the 80s but put them in a very modern very fresh context. The love for nostalgia is right on the surface from the beginning, which may not be great for the records longevity, but for the moment is a pleasure to listen to.

"Cry" is most likely the weakest track on the record, as it is a bit overblown and overly (pun intented) emotional. What you get from Carly on EMOTION SIDE B is a real honesty, these aren't just dance tracks, she has like the albums predecessor been able to put real heart into these songs and make them lyrically diverse. You simply do not get this kind of thought put in to a lot of pop music and for Her to take this kind of risk and show this kind of courage when she knows where her real bread is buttered is quite impressive. Where a lot of female empowerment songs can feel pandering and uninspired you find none of that here. What is even more incredible is that in an instagram post Jepsen said she never intended to release the tracks and possibly only play them live. These songs add such dimension to the whole EMOTION experience that it really is something to behold. If Her lyrics, production and the all around greatness of these songs aren't enough for you to buy in, I suggest you simply shut the fuck up and dance.

8.9 out of 10