ALBUM REVIEW: 'Sawayama' - Rina Sawayama

By Farhira Farudin

RATING: 9/10

I’ve never listened to a pop album THIS explosive before. Each song is carefully carved into its own masterpiece, with casual shock factors sneaking in once in a while that surely drove me insane. It’s crazy how great this album is. Seriously heavy 2000s Britney Spears meet early 2010s Lady Gaga vibes found circulating throughout this album - which are the best eras for pop music in recent memory.

So many times I found myself shaking my head and saying “how did they manage to come up with that?” It can be overwhelming at times but if you pay attention to the details - like the melodic laugh in “STFU!”, the stadium crowd ambiance in “Who’s Gonna Save You Now?”, heavy riffs in “XS” - everything feels put together in the right places.

To know that Sawayama is her debut feels outrageous. Her immense amount of talent feels mounting and can only grow better in the future. If this is what the future of pop music sounds like, then we all should be excited for it.