We all know Carly Rae Jepsen from her 2012 hit single, “Call Me Maybe.” She’s most recognizable by her feel-good pop songs that speak of good times (no joke intended here) and cute crushes. But her newest album, The Loneliest Time, offers us something a little different. I’m here to dive in and offer up my thoughts on her latest project.
The Loneliest Time is Jepsen’s fifth studio album following Dedicated, which didn’t seem to garner much attention. I was excited to see what she had to offer with her latest project. Honestly, I have mixed feelings about this one, but let’s start with what I enjoyed.
Jepsen starts her album with a fun, anthem-like sound in “Surrender My Heart.” It’s seems like it’s been a year for artists to self-reflect and confront difficult truths about themselves (check out my review on Midnights), and Jepsen is no different as she delves into how her broken past threatens to ruin her current relationships. But the song also invites hope that things will change.
“Joshua Tree” is another song I enjoyed. Jepsen has a lot of underrated bass lines in her song, and while simple, they beautifully enhance her songs. We also begin to see this cynical side of her that most of us are unfamiliar with. Perhaps she’s trying to change her image, and she’s certainly trying to explore a different side of her music. “Go Find Yourself or Whatever” is one of the best examples of her showing us a different element to Jepsen’s style. It’s a slow, bittersweet song, and the guitar and violin almost give it a folk sound.
However, there are some songs that bored me because they feel like the same old recycled pop. “Beach House” has fun, fast-paced verses, but the chorus doesn’t bring anything interesting to the table. The bridge was also amusing, but this just left me confused as to what it was going for. I think the song was trying to be snarky and funny. Unfortunately, it only came off as corny. It was an interesting attempt to try out a different style of pop music, but it didn’t blend well with the rest of the album. Honestly, this is indicative of the overall problems with her album concept.
I can see that this is an album born from loneliness and meant to show Jepsen at her most vulnerable, but there isn’t a cohesive story that makes the order of the track list make sense. Sure, there’s one banger after the other, but a concept needs more than good songs. I wish The Loneliest Time had just executed its theme a little better because right now, it feels like she just threw the songs down in an arbitrary order.
This doesn’t mean I didn’t appreciate the album. I’ve grown tired of bubblegum, dance-pop hits that always seem to dominate her career, like “Good Time” and “I Really Like You.” This album offered me something new. Plus, her bonus tracks like “Anxious” are nothing to sleep on. While The Loneliest Time’s concept seems loose and unorganized, the sound truly delivers, so I’d give this album a 7/10. Jepsen is an underrated artist, and this album reminded me that I need a quick revisit of her discography.