After a string of failed single releases, the pop star’s new record is struggling to hit the same heights as Perry’s past work, and might be signaling the end of an era, not just for her but pop music as a whole. The name Katy Perry used to be synonymous with pop in the 2010’s, with her hit album Teenage Dream breaking the records of legends like Michael Jackson.
So, what happened? While it’s easy to recognize the flatness of 143, both sonically and thematically, it’s not like pop music’s defining trait was ever its emotional depth or poetic storytelling – catchiness and simplicity are expectations of the genre (remember Bo Burnham’s “Repeat Stuff”?). But 143 just feels particularly shallow – themes of female empowerment and love fail to go deeper than lines like “It’s a woman’s world and you’re lucky to be living in it”. Certain tracks, like “LIFETIMES”, start to sound purposefully vague on a second listen – there’s only so many ways you can say “I’ll love you for life” in one song before it gets old. When you add that onto the timid backing tracks and Perry’s (iconic, but admittedly basic) vocals, most of the tracks fail to spark any feeling at all, which is possibly the worst outcome for a pop album.
A lot of my issues with 143 stem from the music that’s currently out there – with Carpenter’s ex-blasting tracks, Roan’s disco sapphic anthems, and Charli’s burlesque club hits taking over, another radical optimism pop album just feels uninspired – especially when it fails to inject any fresh energy to the mix. Even Perry’s signature teenage dream escapism feels vacant from the album, with the artist trading her vibrant, emphatic sound for a more heavily autotuned, detached tone that gives the album a much colder, less organic feel. While this could be a cool transition for the artist, she doesn’t commit to this idea enough – when you examine tracks like “GORGEOUS” and “LIFETIMES”, it just feels like Perry she is lost in a twilight zone between tracks that would dominate at a suburban cookout or kid’s birthday party, and the electrically charged dance songs she wants to produce.
Now, the album isn’t all bad – despite its flaws, “WOMAN’S WORLD” still captures some of the catchiness of her first albums and I am an unironic defender of “CRUSH” as a solid, 8/10 dance track. A personal favorite (low a bar as that may be) is “ARTIFICIAL”, 143’s equivalent of “Dark Horse”. While the lyrics are a bit laughable: “I’m a prisoner/in your prison” and “Why you so artificial?” the track features some truly electric bass and vox that offers some of the only bold choices from the album, alongside a high-tempo verse from JID that gave me just enough energy to finish the album. But unfortunately, there’s just too much good music out now (take a look at Jamie xx’s In Waves or Hippo Campus’s Flood) to give 143 the time of day – so I’m putting this album at a 5/10, and recommending you come back to it during a slower season.
Photo Credits from Katy Perry Via Youtube
