Photo courtesy of Youtube.
When Australian teen and YouTube personality Troye Sivan hit the music scene last year with his debut EP, TRXYE, the five songs were dynamic enough to spend 50 days at No. 1 on the iTunes U.S. Albums Chart.
Now, more than a year later, he’s back with his sophomore EP, Wild, for his music-hungry fans. A much-awaited collection, Wild is comprised of six pop alternative songs with a surprisingly big featured artist, Broods. Unlike its predecessor, the EP reached No. 1 on the charts in 41 countries in just preorders. So let’s see if the EP lives up to the hype.
It’s fair to say Sivan has the kind of voice made for layering over heavy electric sound. This is exhibited in “FOOLS,” a song that perfectly balances Sivan’s voice and the instrumental. Thanks to the teamwork of Sivan, Hope and Pip Norman, the lyricism is also beautiful. The hook, “I see swimming pools and living rooms and aeroplanes/ I see a little house on the hill and children’s names/ I see quiet nights poured over ice and Tanqueray/ But everything is shattering and it’s my mistake,” is pure poetry. Mixed with a thick background instrumental, this becomes the kind of song Dr. Dre made Beats headphones for. It’s definitely something for fans of Galimatias’s work with Alina Baraz.
When Sivan announced the featured artist for “EASE” via a picture with a lyric excerpt and Broods’ name beneath it on his Twitter account, his fans went crazy. A mix of pride and eagerness filled his timeline, and the song was highly anticipated by a rapidly growing audience. It certainly doesn’t disappoint.
“EASE” is co-written by Sivan and the New Zealand brother and sister duo Georgia and Caleb Nott (Broods). Caleb also produced the track. The partnership between the artists sparked absolute fire. Georgia’s voice is much like Sivan’s, in that it is soft yet pairs wonderfully with aggressively loud music. However, this song took the gentle route overall and kept the sound low-key. Yet another great track from the album.
Even though “BITE” is co-written by Bram Inscore, Allie X and Leland, the finished product is less than spectacular. Don’t get me wrong; the lyrics and instrumentals are good. But that’s all the song really is — just good. It’s definitely not the kind of song you jump to listen to first.
On the other hand, “DKLA” brings the EP major life. Although the song starts off slow, it picks up with the featured artist, Tkay Maidza, an Australian singer and rapper. Much like “FOOLS,” the instrumental pairs with Sivan’s voice in an incredible way. It’s an ideal conclusion to the EP.
As a whole, Wild is fantastic. Yet again, Troye Sivan has given the music industry something beautifully composed to look back on for years to come. Keep an eye out for Sivan; the boy is going places, and he’s bringing great music with him.
