January 31, Blue Neighbourhood (Deluxe) – Troye Sivan

Genre: Pop, but for people who are too cool for overly poppy pop.
Year: 2015
Runtime: 58:43
Total tracks: 16, six of which are exclusive to the deluxe edition. Of those six, five are new songs, one is a remix of “Wild” which is on both the standard and deluxe editions.
Songs you might know:
– “Wild”
– “Youth”
– “Talk Me Down”
– “Heaven” (ft. Betty Who)

My prior relationship with this album: I first got into this album back when I did a post on Albums to Listen to Instead of Taylor Swift’s Reputation. While I appreciate it and stand by all the positive things I said in that post, I must admit it’s not one I’ve really revisited since, and that was over a year ago. Troye Sivan makes a specific type of music that’s good, but also something where I have to be in a specific mood to really crave it. I honestly can’t remember if I listened to the deluxe version or the standard version back then, so it’ll be interesting to compare.

My impressions this time around: There are some real masterpieces here. I love “Youth.” I love “Heaven” ft. Betty Who. I love “Talk Me Down” and “Lost Boy.” These are the songs that make me stop whatever I’m doing when they come on. I just want to take a moment to appreciate the connection I have with the art I’m consuming.

That being said, most of the other songs on here fall a little flat by comparison. I think this is a case where the deluxe edition actually harms the album. When you listen to Sivan for an hour straight, songs that might feel distinctive and special on their own just start to feel like background noise. There is a trance-inducing quality to most of his music and while that is part of its appeal, it also means that a fair amount of these songs are somewhat forgettable, at least when consumed together as an album. 

You know how bubble gum can taste really good if you just chew it for a short while and spit it out, but really terrible if you chew it for too long? I feel like that’s how some music works, including the wonderful songs of Blue Neighbourhood (deluxe). I like this stuff in short bursts, but an hour straight is too much. Next time I feel like returning to this album, I’ll probably just stick to the 36-minute standard edition.

Who would enjoy it? This is a great album for people who want music they can zone out to, but in a good way. It sort of works as a falling-asleep album, and it also can work for writing/productivity.