REVIEW #1: 80/100

​

Euphoria is the debut album by the rising artist TRNT. The record is a key example of a proper 80's revival album with cleverly composed vapor wave & synth wave music. The album draws reference from the past & present but takes a neo-futuristic turn with the accompanied storyline and visuals. Euphoria is like playing a retro video game but realizing halfway that it's offering more than just plain entertainment. This album was created for the listener to not only hear the music but also research the world, or city in this case, that it's in. The booklet that is included in the physical copy of the album is quite essential for beginning the journey. The first thing you would notice is a map of the fantasied city that is there lead your way throughout the album. Starting with the beautiful intro “Station to Station” at Euphoria’s Gran Subway Station and ending the night with the title track and the closer “Euphoria” at Euphoria’s Main Street. In the beautifully dreamy intro ‘Station to Station’, TRNT gives us the right way to follow the map and that is by observing the city from above and learning that in Euphoria there is a sentimental value to the littlest things. “Stranger to stranger, What’s their story?... Wouldn’t they like to say something?” “Dance With You” which takes place at a cold 9th floor apartment has perhaps one of the catchiest production & hooks on the album. The lyrics aren’t overly complex yet are fun and give you a feeling of an adrenaline rush that never ends. “Tonight we play by instinct, Tonight we leave no stone unturned, Tonight we’re sparks in the dark, Tonight we take all we’ve earned”. Possibly the best track on the album would be the inspirational “Heaven’s In Your Head” which has a stunning multi-layered production that explodes together at the end of the song and creates the feeling as if you’re listening to an epic soundtrack ending of a film.

​

The uplifting lyrics enhance the top-notch production and give the song an anthem-like feeling to it. “You’ll never live the life you crave, If you don’t take time to live the change”. In a city full of opportunities like Euphoria, TRNT clarifies the old notion of which money cannot buy happiness and reminds that one can’t substitute anything for a peaceful mind. The album takes an interesting twist on “After Midnight” which talks about a relationship that stood the test of time despite the obstacles and doubters around. This track also includes great moments lyrically but its placement on the album is rather odd as the next song “There’s a World Out There” returns to “Heaven’s In Your Head” nature with TRNT singing about finding the courage in you to stand up and face the world. It continues to another brilliant moment on the album with “Someday Will Be The Day” where TRNT shines a light to possibly the most invisible people of every city, the homeless. TRNT isn’t neglecting the societal issues that bother him in the real world. Instead, he gives them the spotlight they have been asking for so long. “Silhouette” offers something new production wise with a very catchy melodic production during the chorus that you simply cannot stand still to. Its lyrical highs are not as strong as the rest of the album but that doesn’t take away from it being a good song. Still, however, the finale of the album feels weaker than the beginning. The exploration in the city through its different stories is great but could also be sometimes disorienting because the production doesn’t change vastly throughout the record and yet the narratives do. However, the album’s triumph is its depth which is truly the result of TRNT’s attention to detail and for that, he should be rewarded.(edited)

​

Station to Station- 8.5/10

Moon Under Water- 7/10

Dance With You- 8/10

Heaven’s In Your Head- 10/10

After Midnight- 9/10

There’s A World Out There- 7/10

Someday Will Be The Day- 8.5/10

Lazarus- 7/10

Something Human- 7/10

Silhouette- 7.5/10

Euphoria- 8/10

​

​

​

 

REVIEW #2: 72/100

​

New artists pop up every once and then. They either stick around and become household names or they disappear into irrelevance after they visited every television show and radio station to talk about their music. What sticks out for all of them, though, is their approach to music. And TRNT's is very much one that stands out in the current landscape.

​

 Under his real name, Lucky Blue Smith, the newcomer has risen to public prominence in the second half of this year, after he signed with WILD Records, the home of Shawn Mendes and former label of Madonna.

​

Following a massive promotional schedule, the singer has finally released his debut album, "Euphoria", led by the eponymous lead single. A synthwave record produced mainly by Daniel Scarlet, the album is built around stories from a fictional city named the same as the album. Concept records have been a real success in the industry in the past few years. From Lana Del Rey's "Midnight" to Christina Aguilera's "Desperately Seeking Christina", the notion of a "concept album" has been giving artists their best works in their discographies and brought them their biggest album cycles yet. But does "Euphoria" live up to that potential?

​

On the opener "Station to Station", a song that shares the name with 1976 David Bowie album, we are immediately immersed into the world of Euphoria. Described by the artist through the lenses of the citizens commuting every morning to get where they must get, the introduction in the world doesn't make it seem too exciting of an experience. That being said, the dream-like synthy track has some beautiful moments. "Heartbeats echo off of concrete / As the subway crawls along the track" sings the British artist, pressing start on the journey. From here on, we learn of stories of various citizens who use the metropolis as their own escape. Songs like “Dance With You” or “Heaven’s In Your Mind” highlight the storytelling nature of the album, while tracks like “After Midnight” or “Lazarus” (another David Bowie-borrowed title), expands the universe beyond the limits of the city..

​

Overall, the songwriting is decent. Certain moments on the album stand out extremely well, showing either wit or TRNT’s ability to be playful with his music. However, the songwriting does get a tad repetitive at certain points. Even more, a lot of the time, it feels like the lyrics are shallow and on the surface, failing to touch upon the strong subjects the album tries to tackle. Mostly, we are left with self empowering anthems that feel more like the artist talking to himself rather than trying to spread the message across. For instance, “Heaven’s In Your Mind” reads like cheesy poetry to self written in therapy. Repetitiveness comes out in production too sometimes. While there are no badly made songs on the album per say, the excitement in the instrumentals comes and goes in certain moments. Most of the songs start off great, but then have the bad habit of being a half a song production put on a loop two, maybe three times. The tracks “Heaven’s In Your Head” and “Something Human” feel like duplicates of each other, except with slight modifications, while “There’s A World Out There” feels like an eternity to get through due to the monotone production. “Moon Under Water” and “After Midnight” take too long to become attention grabbing and lose the listener despite its short length. 

​

With the negative stuff left aside, the album is not bad by any means. In fact, those who are longing for the 80s and their effervescent style will for sure adore this record. Despite the sometimes monotonous production, it manages to remain fresh and uses the nostalgia instead of relying on it, resulting thus into songs that don’t sound like remakes of a synthwave classic, but rather as a new product, heavily influenced by that era. Lyrically, “Dance With You” provides maybe the most interesting lyrics on the whole album. They are fun, they don’t take themselves seriously nor do they try to tackle a subject bigger than the album. “Lazarus” provides an extremely interesting perspective on life in Euphoria, as everyone comes to the city to heal, which is not what the main character of the track has been doing.Third to last song, “Something Human”, shows quite the empathy better than on other songs and the title track itself is a beautiful outro to the album and wraps everything nicely. And even though the album has its flaws, its overall concept is well constructed and worked through very creatively throughout the album, as we navigate through more than one perspective about the city of everyone’s dreams.

​

All in all, “Euphoria” is a strong debut. It is well put together and it stays focused. Though some mishaps in lyricism and production, TRNT is on a great path. Where he shines the most is where he is most carefree and doesn’t try too hard. Though he has some growing to do, the artist has a lot of potential and proved on some of the tracks on the album that he can both combine the old with the new to create a world of his own. So if he follows his own advice, to “live forever tonight”, this won’t be the last night of his life.

​

Highlights: Dance With You, Lazarus, Something Human, Euphoria

​

​

​

​

REVIEW #2: 85/100

​

TRNT made a splash on the music scene a few weeks back and has now released his debut album “Euphoria,” in which each song deals with a different citizen of the city in a different place and scenario. Despite this album being marketed as a collection of songs detailing different experiences, it is remarkably cohesive. The flow of the songs is impressive and the synthwave inspired sound helps paint the vision for this futuristic, somewhat dystopian feeling city. 

​

Instant highlights are the songs “Dance With You,” “After Midnight” and “Silhouette.” “Dance With You” sounds like a hit waiting to happen. It would not feel out of place on Kelly Clarkson’s latest album Broken Heart Jukebox. The sound is very current and the lyrics offer more bite than any other song on this record. If it isn’t a contender for a single, it definitely should be! The song “After Midnight” is slotted perfectly into the track list, slowing the album down slightly after a punch of bops. The lyrics and sound are simply stunning. However, the biggest feat of the song is that it seems to inject a bit of TRNT’s personal life into the record. When making a themed record, it often becomes easy for an artist to completely detach themselves from their work. This song appears to take a personal experience and weave it into the tapestry of Euphoria. “Silhouette” is another upbeat offering that sounds very current while looking to the past melodically. It is another one worthy of single status. The concept behind this song is very interesting and highlights the very real issues transgender people face. It is nice that TRNT is bringing awareness to these issues with his platform.

​

It appears as though a lot of work went into the creation of this album, from the songs, to the visuals and to the interactive map. TRNT proffers a new way to experience an album and that is very commendable. Oftentimes, listening to these songs makes feel like you’re living in a movie or video game, which suggests that TRNT did a great job in bringing the album to life.