Carly Rae Jepsen
E•MO•TION (Interscope/School Boy)
BC can no longer claim Carly Rae Jepsen; she belonged to the world as of 2012, the year “Call Me Maybe” reached number one in 18 countries and entered the zeitgeist with dozens of viral lip-dubs. But we’ve further lost touch with the Mission, BC, sweetheart with the vague pop-juggernaut that is her third album.
The 29-year-old reveals little new on E•MO•TION. Instead, her musical persona still seems caught in that superficial crush – in a world where bangs never grow and the sing-along dance party never stops.
That’s not to say, though, that the consistency isn’t catchy, or clever. Teaming with some of pop’s most prestigious hitmakers, Jepsen has luxuriously eschewed her sessions with Max Martin and Jack Antonoff for tracks with Vampire Weekend’s Rostam Batmanglij and Devonté Hynes (Florence + The Machine, Chemical Brothers).
The album opens with some meaningful eye contact on “Run Away with Me”, a midnight-infused send-off to the shimmering seduction of summer. It stalks you across the bar with the dangerously infectious “I Really Like You” (listen to Jepsen sing the word “really” 67 times at your own risk), and calls you two a taxi with the Sia-penned “Making the Most of the Night”. Like a double-texting first date, “Boy Problems” and “LA Hallucinations” want you to like them a bit too much, but Jepsen maintains her cool with the cavernous “Gimmie Love” and takes the gloves off with the wounded “Your Type” (the grittiness of her voice apparently thanks to a week of vaping).
But for all the talk of emotion, not a lot of it feels real. Referencing everyone from Prince to Haim, E•MO•TION is a tightly crafted ‘80s package wrapped in pastel shades of synth; I just wish it let a little more of Jepsen out.
Rating: 3/5
