Addison Rae made an album which is solely for the girls and the gays. I have not spoken to a single straight man who was excited about this album, and that is totally, totally fine. Released in June, just in time for another hot-girl summer, Rae’s debut LP Addison is everything you want from a pop album.
Releasing a string of impeccable singles starting with “Diet Pepsi,” Addison has reinvented her name with intention and elegance. She managed to go from TikTok star/makeup brand owner/hallmark actress/cringe queen to a well-respected musical artist, which has been really cool to watch.
Her artistic vision is so clear cut; she is girly, fun, materialistic and unapologetic. Referencing all of the greats who went before her, from Britney Spears, to Lana Del Rey and Charli XCX, Addison has truly carved out a space of her own amidst the core pop-girls. There is a good amount of experimentation within her music that makes her sound distinctly her own. It is hazy and atmospheric, with driving baselines such as on “High Fashion” and triphoppy beats, as on closing track, “Headphones” (one of my personal favourites). Paired together with her soft and fragile voice, there is a prevalent dreamlike quality to the album.
Rae released a series of music videos alongside the singles which did a fantastic job in building a world around the album. She is completely unafraid of being weird in front of the camera; rather than aiming to be seen as a super-polished, beautiful-from-every-angle, pop-star, she expresses herself through borderline avant-garde movement and dance. She also released “Arcamarine” a collaborative remix of “Aquamarine” with experimental Venezuelan producer, Arca; this association further cemented her position as an artist and not just as someone trying to make it as a singer.
This is a really solid debut album. It is both playful and moody, with an almost mystical allure to it, similar to that of Caroline Polachek. I for one cannot wait to see what she puts out next.
