After her successful sophomore album, “Starf*cker” (2023), which invoked 80s electronic-themed pop and a particular view of Hollywood, Catherine Grace Garner, professionally known as Slayyyter, is ready to crank it up, literally.
After parting ways with her former label, the singer was ready for one of her most ambitious and daring projects to date, one that would change the trajectory of her life forever.
In theory, this album was never supposed to happen. The artist had reached a critical point in her career after her sophomore album, wondering if she would ever make music again. Despite her doubts, she pushed through to make one last project.
In a conversation with Billboard Magazine, she discussed contemplating making this her final project and returning to school afterward. “The biggest mantra I had going into the studio was, ‘If I die tomorrow, would this be a song I’d be proud of or think was cool, or would it be a song that if people put it on at a party, I’d be embarrassed about?'” she told the publication.
This mantra rings true, as the gritty Midwest trash aesthetics paired with electro-pop tracks deliver an album worthy of crowning a new pop princess. If Chappell Roan were the queen of midwestern pop, Slayyyter represents the ugly, naughtier side of things.
On Aug. 1, 2025, Colombia Records announced that the artist was now signed with them. On that same day, “BEAT UP CHANEL$” was released as the lead single for her upcoming third studio album.
This would be followed by four more singles from her upcoming album, which included “CANNIBALISM!”, “CRANK”, “DANCE…” and “OLD TECHNOLOGY” all while on Jan. 13, 2026, Slayyyter announced the title of her third studio album, “WOR$T GIRL IN AMERICA.”
The first five singles feature heavy electronic and pop production, ranging from grunge electric rock in “CANNIBALISM!” to Sofie-influenced hyperpop in “CRANK.”
In addition to being a full-length album, videos and visualizers were released for every track, making it a visual album as well.
The album continues an alternative-electronic-pop theme, with each track providing a bassline and beat so fierce that you are commanded to the dance floor.
Slayyyter’s sonic evolution from her previous works is most notable, as the album’s electronic punk style unmistakably becomes her calling card. Her goal was to create “iPod music”, which she accomplished through producers like Valley Girl, Austin Corona, Wyatt Bernard, Hamish, Yakob and Owen Jackson.
Standout tracks like “GAS STATION” and “OLD FLING$” revive the heavy EDM-style tracks of 2010. The artist channels a modern-day Kesha and Britney Spears, but more violently, with an undeniable edge that is felt in every lyric and beat.
In “$T. LOSER,” the sixth single, she writes some of her strongest lyrics, as she sings, “If kids are bumping my sh*t, that’s a recession indicator, I think about me, I got my eyes on the trophy, I think these bitches write me off, but they don’t even know me”.
The track’s electro-grunge guitar rifts and pulses make this a key track in the ethos of this album’s story, one that rebukes the traditional American lifestyle in favor of partying and drinking all night long.
Her awareness that this type of music performed so well indicates her status as a trailblazer, one ready to seize her throne and take her place amongst some of the greats in pop music.
Despite this success, one could argue that the album feels too well-done, despite its trashy image and theme. Branding like the red dollar sign, bunny suit man and American-style Midwest aesthetics hint at a more put-together image than one might suspect.
The only interlude in the album is “*PRAYER*,” a thirty-second statement to the heavens above. This leads to one of the best ending tracks on a record, “BRITTANY MURPHY.”
In reference to the actress, the song leaves the listener off on a similar but milder tone than the album’s start: confident, gritty and full of wit.
Slayyyter’s third album proves to be not only her best but one of the first of its kind. In an oversaturated market of house and club-pop sounds, she brings some of her wildest lyrics and moments, channeling the perfect medium between 2000s and 2010s pop music.
The utilization of Tumblr-like aesthetics, iPod-like music, diy outfits and self-directed music videos marks a breaking point in the creative cesspool of oversaturated sounds and album cycles.
Slayyyter tells the tragic story of her American life, reflecting the lives of so many of us who are lost in our own pain and agony, searching for something more than we could ever hope to have.
