TROYE SIVAN EXPLORES LUST ON SINGLES FOR HIS NEW ALBUM
Source: FrontView Magazine
Troye Sivan has finally returned to music with a new album, Something to Give Each Other. The album comes four years after Sivan's sophomore project, Bloom, and serves as a turn in Sivan's musical career. The project's themes of sexual identity and lust are a long way from the romance portrayed in Bloom and the heartbreak of his 2021 EP, In A Dream. Sivan came on the music scene with Blue Neighbourhood as a teenager connecting with the LGBTQ+ community through musical themes of navigating sexual orientation. Now, Something to Give Each Other, coming 8 years later, continues to connect with the community through its lyrics and visuals, with one video showing Sivan dressed in drag.
Rush
The album cycle began with Rush as the lead single, becoming an instant club hit. The song resonated with fans for its lighthearted nature and for being inspired by poppers, a common party drug often used during sex for feelings of euphoria and muscle relaxation. Pitchfork, which named the song a "Best New Track," wrote, "The pop star's sublime new anthem treats sex and partying as a practically religious act." Here are some lyrics from the single:
"I feel the rush / Addicted to your touch
Breathe one, two, three, take all of me, so good"
Sexuality has been a large part of Sivan's discography, originally starting with oppression of one's sexual orientation with Blue Neighbourhood. The sophomore project, Bloom, portrayed a queer romance and love while In A Dream leaned into heartbreak. Now, Sivan is transitioning into another field of sexuality, lust, starting with Rush. The music video, complete with now-viral choreography and gloryholes, has garnered over 18 million views on YouTube. One X user wrote, "The way rush made me a full blown Troye Sivan fan... I'm obsessed with his music."
Got Me Started
With Got Me Started, the second official single from the album, Sivan continued to explore hookup culture with an electric beat sampled from Bag Raiders' 2008 hit, Shooting Stars. The sound original came back into popularity with the viral "Fat Man Does Amazing Dive" video that led to a meme replaying the man's dive in galaxy. The use of the same helped the listeners reminisce on the mid-2010s as Sivan layered it with a high-pitched robotic version of his own voice. The voice-altering adds to the euphoric nature of the song which is only amplified with the lyrics:
"You just got me started / And I don't think I can stop it
And I don't wanna go home alone, alright?
Boy, can I be honest? / Kinda miss usin' my body
Fuck it up just like this party did tonight"
In the video, Sivan encapsulates several queer spaces, including the club, backstage at a drag show, etc. as he's seen dancing through each one. The choreography reminded fans of Janet Jackson, who Sivan credited as one of the main inspirations for the album. One Reddit user wrote, "Honestly, after Troye mentioned Janet Jackson... as an influence for the album, I can totally see it in the choreo..." while another wrote, "i honestly haven't been this excited for a Troye album since the Tumblr days."
One of Your Girls
One of Your Girls was released alongside the album on October 13th and immediately became a part of every headline surrounding Something to Give Each Other. The song takes a turn in exploring lust in the album cycle's rollout, as, this time, Sivan sings about hooking up with and falling for men who identify as heterosexual. The song utilizes a late 90s/early 2000s sound to relay the message. Sivan, again, sings with voice modifiers, this time a low-pitched sad robot sound. Sivan told Spotify that the sad robot sound was intentional in portraying how he felt dehumanized hooking up with the subject. In the song, Sivan sings:
"Give me a call if you ever get lonely / I'll be like one of your girls or your homies
Say what you want, and I'll keep it a secret / You get the key to my heart, and I need it
Give me a call if you ever get desperate / I'll be like one of your girls"
The video has everyone talking, as it's complete with Sivan in drag and stars Ross Lynch. Lynch has eyes on him across social media for his racy concerts. Now, he's bringing that raciness to the video for Sivan's third single from the new album. The video showcases several closeup shots of Lynch's physique and has social media in a frenzy. Sivan's drag looks for the video also turned heads, as fans thirsted over Sivan and praised his performance. One X user wrote, "at first i was like “i want her” then it was waaaaaaaiiiittttaaaaa minute," while another compared the look to Shakira's.
Sources: Vulture, Page Six, Queerty
The album continues the themes of lust with songs like In My Room and Honey in which Sivan explores ideas similar to his album, Bloom, intertwining love and lust in his catchy pop hooks. Sivan is carving out a path for LGBTQIA+ artists in pop through the album and its visuals and lyrics.
With the release of One of Your Girls and the album, Sivan is securing his spot in mainstream pop once again. The lyrical content of the album as well as the visuals for the singles are rounding out the star as "bonafide popstar" as one X user called it. From the lustful freedom of Rush and Got Me Started to the relatability of One of Your Girls, Sivan's new album is personal yet fun. Generally, Sivan is reminding us all that we all have "something to give each other" and fan's are glad Sivan is giving us this era.