If you are a fan of pop music or just a fan of music that pushes the boundaries, last week was a really great week. Not only did we get Charli XCX’s excellent new record, but up and coming pop star Slayyyter dropped her debut mixtape as well. Slayyyter sort of burst onto the radar out of nowhere a couple of years ago, dropping single after single that pushes the boundary sonically and lyrically of what pop music is. Slayyyter’s music is so riotous and fun and sexual; every time a song of hers comes on, it makes me want to dance. I have been really anticipating this project since it was announced. I wanted to see if Slayyyter could deliver the same amount of quality on a whole record, or if her trying to push the boundaries would get in the way. I have to say, she totally delivered on this one. This album is so fun; I literally feel like I could throw this on at a party and play nothing else and everyone would be content. Slayyyter does a really great job of making music that is new and unique but making it relatable and mainstream sounding enough that it is still totally accessible for all music fans. Everything about this album is so fun.
We’ve been smoking all day. We walked around the city and I think we ran into you ex. Got our matching Juicy lockets. Got our celly in our pockets. You’re my sexy little BFF!
Slayyyter catapults us into her glitzy and glamorous Y2K era world from the moment this album opens. ‘BFF’ is one of many songs on this album that reminds me of a combination of Euro-pop from the early 2000s and that emo EDM that was popular on MySpace. ‘BFF’ is shiny and fun pretty, but also so dirty. The buzzing synths on this song bring a cunning element to the joyful and happy bells that are ringing throughout the song. Lyrically, this is a total party song, and that honestly sets the tone for the album. It is definitely a party record. I love Slayyyter’s voice on this song. Her low auto-tuned vocals sound like they came from a computer in the best way. i love it. The second song is still definitely a party track, but it does switch the vibe a bit. ‘Mine’ is one of the singles that was released from this project, and it is one of the songs that initially garnered hype for Slayyyter online because it sort of went viral. This track reminds me a lot of British Deep House music; I get major Duke Dumont and Oliver Holdens vibes from this song. It is a really pretty and sweet song and it shows off Slayyyter’s diversity right away. The next song, ‘Alone,’ also shows us that she has a lot of different sounds and music styles up her sleeve. The production on this one reminds me a lot of Glitch Mob or even Sleigh Bells. It is brash and in your face and punk glitchy industrial beat music. It still has a nice and pretty melody, but the song is definitely a huge switch up from the first two. ‘Candy’ brings us back to that emo EDM that the first song had. I love how much bass is in the synths on this song. ‘Candy’ also has some of my favorite vocals from Slayyyter. She kind of goes back and forth from this super breathy vocal tone to the weird strained singing that Britney Spears does. Once again, ‘Candy ‘ showcases how diverse of an artist Slayyyter can be.
‘Cha Ching’ is a totally hard as hell banger that is pretty unlike everything else on this EP, and it actually maybe my favorite song of the record. The instrumental sounds super robotic and alienistic; it is like EDM hip hop from the future. This song is basically about Slayyyter knowing that she is the shit and that she has the looks and the money to get whatever she wants and whoever she wants. This is just a super song. The next two tracks, ‘Devil’ and ‘Ur Man,’ sound like they are straight out of the early 2000s. These songs are definitely influenced by Britney and to a lesser extent Nelly Furtado or Jessica Simpson. It surprises me that more of this specific style of pop is not more popular these days because other music from this era is starting to become so big. After the trip back to 2003 that those songs provided, we go back into the glitchy futuristic hip hop with the banger ‘Daddy AF.’ This sound is so distinctly Slayyyter; I can not think of anyone making bass-heavy sort of electronic poppy hip hop like this. If you are not into super sexual music, this probably isn’t the one for you. Lyrically, this song would make the 2 Live Crew look like Michael Buble. I love the attitude of this song; it is one of my favorite songs by Slayyyter so far because it is so cocky and in your face and fun.
Slayyyter has professed herself that ‘Motorcycle’ is her best song, and it maybe tough to argue with her on that. It is definitely one of her most inventive and unique tracks. The chorus of the track(which is the first thing you hear) has a super sweet Euro-pop vibe that reminds me of DJ Encore or Alice Deejay, and the verses of the song have a vibe that is like a combination of LMFAO, Dada Life, and Blood On The Dance Floor. This song sounds like it came right out of the damn MySpace era. If I saw Slayyyter’s cover art for this project with no context, ‘Motorcycle’ would probably the closest thing to what I would imagine her music would sound like. We stay with the MySpace vibe on the next track as well. ‘Celebrity’ once again gives me Blood On The Dance Floor vibes, but it also totally gives me Paris Hilton vibes. This song is like if Paris Hilton had been influenced by emo-EDM culture. Honestly, I think that may be a pretty good way to describe Slayyyter in general. This song is so upbeat and fun, and I think it would be the perfect song for cruising down the highway with the windows down high as all hell. The next song, ‘Tattoo,’ sounds like it could have been on Charli XCX’s new album. This song is a super sweet take on futuristic bubblegum-bass pop. It is really cute and of course highly sexual, once again sort of like Slayyyter herself. This song fits very well into this album and showcases yet another style of music that she can excel at.
You could my e-boy. Kiss me through the screen, boy. Give it all to me boy, yeah. Watch me using all my toys. Do you wanna be my e-boy?
If you are not into music that is pretty overtly sexual, Slayyyter may not be the album for you. ‘E-Boy,’ which features That Kid, and ‘Touch My Body’ are both filled with extremely sexual and liberating lyricism; Slayyyter is making it pretty clear that she is very confident in her sexuality and she is the dominant figure in her own kinky world. ‘E-Boy’ brings us back to that MySpace era emo-EDM vibe; I swear to god Slayyyter and pre-makeup icon Jeffree Star would have been an iconic music duo. I love the bass and blaring synths on this song; the vibe is so in your face and fun. ‘Touch My Body’ reminds me a lot more of the electro-pop that you would hear today. I get major Tove Lo or Bebe Rexha vibes from this song. The production on ‘Touch My Body’ is so light and fun; it a very poppy version of the Euro-House that artists like David Guetta or Calvin Harris have liked to make in the past. The album ends with on a way more light but somber note. ‘Ghosttt’ is pretty much the only song on the album that does not have a happy and upbeat tone. Slayyyter is singing about someone who has ghosted her, in turn breaking her heart and making her feel like shit. Although the production is still glitzy and glamorous electro-pop, it has a little more of a darker and sadder tone, which is really brought out in the lyrics. I think is a cool way to end the record because it shows off yet another side to Slayyyter’s music and songwriting that make her so unique and versatile. ‘Ghosttt’ is not my personal favorite song on this record, but it showcases a different and more vulnerable side of Slayyyter that shows she can write music about anything and shows that she does not always have to make super upbeat party music.
If you are the type of person that would rather listen to more introspective and deep music, Slayyyter may not be the album for you. But everything about this album is so fun and interesting. The multitude of different influences and sounds on this record are super rad, and Slayyyter’s easy going, rebellious nature just makes me want to party with her. I can not wait to hear what random sounds and types of music Slayyyter combines next; her talent oozes all over every track on this record, and it is obvious she is going to be a pop superstar. Don’t miss out on Slayyyter, trust me. Stream it below!
EAST SIDE VIBES 