Japanese-British pop rocker Rina Sawayama (“Follow Me”) released her second studio album “Hold the Girl” on Sept. 16. The album is the follow-up to her star-making debut album and ode to Y2K, “SAWAYAMA.” The album made her an instant alt-pop sensation, but this new album shows her diving head-first into adult contemporary pop rock straight out of a Disney Channel Original Movie. Clarence Clarity (“Your Wrong To”) also returns as a head producer.
It is undeniable that Sawayama is an artist who loves pop music. Her music pastiches tropes of all corners of pop, with a tad of cheeky irony but unabashed appreciation. She calls her fanbase “Pixels.” She even received the blessing of Elton John (“Hold Me Closer”).
Sawayama is especially a proud protégé of Lady Gaga (“Hold My Hand”), from her extravagantly choreographed performances to her unapologetic declaration of queer identity. She even referenced Gaga’s famous “talented, brilliant, incredible” quote in her “XS” music video. Her breakout record made her a pop rock icon in the alternative circuit. She is to Charli XCX (“Hot In It”) what Olivia Rodrigo (“SOUR”) is to Taylor Swift (“Carolina”).
With this second album, Sawayama seems to aim her poptimism at the most defining element of pop music: commercial prosperity. While “SAWAYAMA” is a gleaming manifesto of exemplary pop, its intrigue comes from its melting pot of influences, from J-pop to nu metal. While “Hold the Girl” still follows this momentum, it tends to gravitate toward a certain sound, one of Kelly Clarkson (“You’re Drunk, Go Home”), and the sellout era of Liz Phair (“Soberish”) that Pitchfork seethed about. A reviewer and hopeful Pixel wonders, “will it work?”
Lead single “This Hell” shoots for a country-fied take on homophobia, with ‘80s-ish guitar riffs and a Southern accented chorus of “This Hell is better with you!” Her appropriation of country may make for an obvious joke of “that don’t impress me much,” but to make one would ignore the fact that the song is actually really great. “Got my invitation/To eternal damnation,” she sings, “Get in line, pass the wine b—h/We’re going straight to Hell!” She pushes aside the classic threat of gays going to Hell by claiming Hell as her throne. To anyone needing the perfect song to lip-sync to at a Halloween gala, this one is perfect.
As for the rest of the album, the campy banger of “This Hell” is traded for sincere power ballads and stadium pop. Sawayama’s lyricism takes a gothic edge on tracks like “Holy (Til You Let Me Go)” and “Your Age.” The former seems like a Gaga “Chromatica” outtake. The latter echoes the production of Trent Reznor (“If I Can’t Have Love, I Want Power”), if not directly ripping off his industrial hit “Closer,” but still triumphs as the most badass song on this album.
Other songs go the opposite direction: sincerity in brightness. “Catch Me In The Air” was a prerelease single showing Sawayama’s first hint at the muted efforts the album can take sometimes. The track sounds straight from Clarkson’s “Breakaway” era if it was performed by The Corrs (“Breathless”). The same applies to “Hurricanes,” whose chorus seems to steal straight from Clarkson’s “Catch My Breath.”
As a follow up to her debut, “Hold the Girl” may fail to seem as forward thinking or intriguing as Sawayama’s past work, but it still fulfills a promise of screamworthy tracks for ascending while driving your minivan. In short: she slayed. “Hold the Girl” is a product of Dirty Hit.
Image from Rina Sawayama via YouTube
