REVIEW #1: 67/100

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TRNT released the re-release to his critically-acclaimed album "Euphoria" which was released last year. The re-release, titled "Songs From The Outer Rim", features six new songs to the world of Euphoria. What his debut album succeeded in greatly was in reviving the 80s synth wave sound in a way that is original, interesting and makes you want to delve more into which is why it's no surprise that the singer decided to give us another ride inside his imaginary neo-futuristic city. The production on "Outer Rim" carried the greatness of the original release and surely did not disappoint during most of the album. Good examples would be the gloomy-hard-beat openers "Future Reflections" & "Little Dark Age" which immersed us into darker districts than we've last dropped off from on "Euphoria", the spectacular production on "The Living Daylights" and the 80s guitar-riff outro on "Flowers At The Door". There are also some compelling lyrical moments, most noticeable in tracks like "Future Reflections" that depicts the complexity behind addiction very cleverly & "Empire Of The Sun" which deals with emotional damage from trauma "Hands pressed over your eyes, What you don’t see can’t stay with you" leading to suicide, referred in the song as "empire of the sun".

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However, the release felt a little disoriented at times with concepts that kind of stray away from the fantasy city's borders like on "Flowers At The Door" which is about a couple being chained in their toxic relationship and "How Come You're Not Here" which conveys the cruelty in fate. What the original album captured so well was the different spots and characters in the city and how their stories can reflect in the real world but on this re-release, you kind of lose the sense of the city in the second half of the EP and it feels generally more disjointed. There are also some lyrics that kind of detract from the clear potential of the songs like on "Flowers At The Door" with "I hate how much this city reminds me that I’ve no freedom. Just this domestic routine of spite and boredom" and "Justice comes with bias, and violence comes with silence and a demand for fairness is always framed as defiance" from "The Living Daylights". TRNT's general songwriting can sometimes be a little too serious or somewhat puzzling, making it difficult to imagine how it would fit on the production and eventually stops the message from being delivered as intended. There's no doubt the original release accomplished in making the listeners explore the city in its symbolic streets and alleys but this re-release feels like it's not adding much to the listener's general experience from Euphoria. Euphoria is still one of the most intriguing concept-projects of recent years and it will be interesting to see where TRNT will take us on the next project.

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Future Reflections - 7/10

Little Dark Age- 7/10

Empire Of The Sun- 7/10

The Living Daylights - 6/10

Flowers At The Door - 6/10

How Come You're Not Here - 7/10

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REVIEW #2: 70/100

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Rising pop star TRNT has released his latest EP, ‘Songs From The Outer Rim’, a continuation of his debut album ‘Euphoria’ that explores more of the fictional universe the singer has created in his music.

 

Immediately, the concept is interesting. This whole idea of creating a fictional work that provides the inspiration and context for entire projects worth of music is a unique approach and TRNT should be commended for trying something so ambitious and different to what we generally see. And the approach is clearly working for him. The city of Euphoria has provided TRNT with material and scope to create some good music.

 

The 80’s synthpop production on the album is crisp and cohesive, with ‘The Living Daylights’ and ‘How Come You’re Not Here’ standing at as the best example of perfecting this sound. While it’s done well and it’s clearly an intentional choice given the very retro-futuristic aesthetic of Euphoria, I must make a note about the 80s synthpop sound – it’s been done. A lot. Again, it’s done really well here, but TRNT’s also not doing himself any favours by sticking around this genre when we’ve been hearing it from him and a handful of other artists for years now. While it’s also a wider criticism of music in general at the moment, TRNT is a victim of the repetitiveness. Even on this EP, with only 6 songs total, the sound starts to blend all together and you feel like you’re hearing more of the same over and over.

 

As for the lyrics, TRNT continues to mine from the land of Euphoria. While the production side of things draws from something we’ve been hearing arguably too much of, the song writing comes from somewhere unique and so that's an immediate plus in his favour. It gives TRNT a lot to work with and every song is an experience to immerse yourself in this fictional universe and explore through the perspective of these different characters. The ‘Outer Rim’ that the EP refers to is described as “dark and gritty” so it makes sense that the subject matter of the songs match that. There is a slight sense of moody “woe-is-me” angst that creeps its way in to the album (which I think has also been an issue with some of TRNT’s label mates music, including collaborator on this project, Shawn Mendes) that reads a bit like a high school theatre production that BEGS us to root for the main character because the whole world is against them. That's not to take away from the personal story-telling we're hearing on these albums from these artists, because there is some really beautiful and touching moments, but I don't think the lack of variation in perspective is helping the WILD Records roster. There's room to explore a whole lot more and TRNT, again, should be commended for trying something new here. It's a promising next step.

 

I wanted finish by highlighting the final song on the EP – ‘How Come You’re Not Here’, which features friend and label companion Shawn Mendes. I think the song is a really strong end to the project and the back and forth between the two artists’ works perfectly on this track. The ambiguous ending of trying to figure out Mendes’ character’s fate and simultaneously feeling for TRNT’s character is heartbreaking. It doesn’t feel like it lives fully in this universe, mainly because it’s very character-based and doesn’t really reference anything unique to the Euphoria world, but perhaps that’s a good thing. It feels like it lives on its own and it is possibly a sign for where TRNT will head next - because there’s only so long he can stay in this little universe he’s created.   

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SCORE #3: 77/100

Impressive world building and some gripping moments, like EOTS, the Shawn collab, and the Selena collab... Very consistent and cohesive, though nothing really jumps out as striking and bold outside of those gripping moments, (probably due to it being an EP and the length but yeah). Writing is consistently decent to good and there aren’t any glaringly bad moments when ur comes to lyricism. Enjoyable overall and a good addition to the world of Euphoria.

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SCORE #4: 75/100

TRNT's "Euphoria" follow-up, "Songs From The Outer Rim", takes a deep dive into the very edges of the city and it's residents. With each song dedicated to a different story, the EP is at it's best when it takes the time to flesh out each individual and their background, especially in those where the song is delivered from the perspective of the individual rather than an outward look into their lives that feel slightly less connected. Given the premise of the EP, at times it feels like it struggles to distinguish itself from Euphoria in terms of concept and establish the 'Outer Rim' as it's own entity. Nonetheless, the project is yet another example of TRNT's excellent world building and ability to weave between narratives to create a larger than life EP.

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SCORE #5: 60/100

Songs From The Outer Rim arrives as a valiant effort, however misguided the final product is. While songs like Empire of the Sun and How Come You're Not Here are highlights, the album is marked by inconsistent writing, production that rarely excites, and a strange take on the protests centering the killing of George Floyd that comes off as preachy and insincere. 

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SCORE #6: 76/100

Empire and the two collaborations are the best on the record. Some songwriting moments feel too storytelling, as the writer tries too hard to transpose a traditional book storytelling onto a song. The world building is gorgeous.