Singer-songwriter Doja Cat released her highly anticipated fifth studio album, “Vie.“ With only one lead single in less than a month of promotion, the album promised a return to the singer’s roots in pop stardom. “Jealous Type,” the first single off the album, takes us to a ’70s – ’80s esque world, both sonically and visually.
In addition to the single, an interactive promotion was held with a retro-style phone booth, where fans could dial a number and enter an interactive soundscape where the artist’s voice could be heard talking about jealousy and other topics relating to the single.
On Sept. 22, the singer revealed the official cover art for her upcoming album, to which fans immediately responded both positively and negatively. While many praised the singer for her artistic direction and creativity, others complained that the cover did not match the ’80s style that was promised and seemed out of place and a bad promotion.
The singer immediately responded on Twitter, telling her fans and haters alike, “You can’t make me feel bad for a cover that has visceral meaning. The greatest armor is love and integrity. I forgive your harsh criticism but for me I won yet again for following my heart. If I was you I wouldn’t.”
The original album cover that was revealed during the early stages of promotion features a close-up shot of the singer’s face surrounded by roses. It was simple, on theme and gorgeous. The ‘official’ cover that was recently revealed is something completely different, featuring the singer in a bridal dress, wearing a yellow parachute and hanging from a tree.
Photo Courtesy of Sony Music Entertainment
The tangled strings of the parachute spell out the album title “Vie.” The artist described this cover as “flying you towards new experiences” and “holding no bounds.” She tied the cover’s meaning down to falling in love and putting trust in the hands of yourself and others. Although the cover may stray a little from the initial concept, the meaning still holds true and ties in with the themes of the lead single.
Track eight on the album, “Take Me Dancing,” features none other than singer-songwriter SZA, with whom the rapper has previously collaborated on the hit single “Kiss Me More” from her third studio album “Planet Her.” The last-minute announcement was unexpected but welcomed by fans, with many eager to hear another hit by the powerful duo.
The album itself is a vibrant, luscious and extravagant package of ’80s style tunes and snarky rap verses. The opening track, “Cards,” sets the tone of the album strongly, with samples from the “Knight Rider” theme, creating a sensual and exciting start. Followed by ‘Jealous Type’ and the thrilling ‘Aaahh Men!’, the album opens up with some classic Doja sass and heavy bass.
Doja Cat in one of her lead singles "Jealous Type." Photo Courtesy of Jacob Webster.
As the tracks continue, however, the album begins to feel a little formulaic, which would make sense considering the artist chose to go back to her pop roots. Most of the songs consist of singing, rapping and singing again, which at times can feel rather generic, especially with the heavy use of sampling and ’70s-’80s beats.
Where tracks like “Couples Therapy” and “Take Me Dancing (Feat. SZA)” fall short, other tracks like “Gorgeous,” “All Mine” and “Lipstain” further strengthen the concepts of love, jealousy and trust. “Gorgeous” is the second song off the album with a video and it features top supermodels of this day and age, such as Anok Yai, Alex Consani, Paloma Elsesser, Amelia Gray and many more.
Alternative album cover provided by Sony Music Entertainment
The second half of the album hops from sultry and sensual tracks like “Acts of Service” or “Happy” to more upbeat and fun songs like “Silly! Fun!” and “Make It Up.” The overall use of cartoonish, retro beats, saxophone tunes and synthesizers can feel redundant in some areas of the album, but there is no denying that the throwback sound makes you want to get up and dance.
The added flare of rap verses and humor either make or break the tracks, with lyrics such as “She ain’t so Christian in Louboutins… She wanna be chic when it’s inspired by heroin” to “I wanna be the doctor and be that medication… Sorry I got three selves, one’s twelve.”
The somewhat colorful arrangement of pop-rap tracks makes for a lovely addition to Doja’s music catalog and is guaranteed to have you humming one of these tunes, and maybe even busting a move when it feels right. “Vie“ reminds us of the good old days most of us have never lived and yet the sense of nostalgia we receive from ’80s music is an indescribable feeling, making this album an expected but welcome addition for our ears.
