There’s nothing more heartbreaking than a newly-released album from your favorite artist not meeting your high expectations. Well, I’m sure there are worse things but after listening to Troye Sivan’s third album, Something to Give Each Other, my most highly anticipated album for the past three years, I was devastated to have to admit to myself that I simply did not like it.
Sometimes you have to admit to yourself when an album is just simply not that good. I’m sure that other people loved the album and that it was definitely fitting to some people’s tastes, but I personally felt let down by the project as a whole. While there are certainly some gems, like “Honey” and “Get Me Started,” both of which are fun and upbeat songs with musical genius, the album as a whole made me feel there were more songs that I didn’t enjoy than did.
“Still Got It” is a nod to Troye’s first, and arguably best, album, Blue Neighborhood, and my favorite by far. The two verses are beautifully written, heartbreaking with their simplicity and raw emotion. I loved this song more than anything, especially after he released the teaser on TikTok months before. I expected the rest of the album to sound like this — slow and emotional with ballads that are reminiscent of Bloom, Troye’s second album.
However, the rest of the album reeks of pop, a genre I’m not too particularly fond of over the alternative and indie genres. The singles were also very misleading, with “Rush” emphasizing club energy and “Get Me Started” highlighting a slower but still upbeat pop song. I didn’t enjoy the singles, which was a hot take, but I had faith that the rest of the album would be different.
On my first listen, I tried to keep an open mind. As the songs kept playing in successive order, I was struggling to keep defending Troye. Some of my friends, who are also super-fans (“stans”) of Sivan’s, were on the same page as me.
How do you deal with this disappointment? I still will be seeing Troye live at his next tour and sing my heart out to “Easy” and “Seventeen.” However, I fear that Troye hit his peak too early and nothing can ever compare to his first project. I think I need to give the album 10 more listens before I can truly form an opinion, but I personally have not fallen in love with it yet.