REVIEW #1: 88/100

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Troye Sivan’s third studio album was one of the most impressive comebacks in recent memory. Though his first two works were solid efforts, he truly came into his own the third time around and it seems audiences and critics alike agreed. The album was Troye’s most impactful in terms of it’s adoration, picking up several Grammy nominations and unanimous acclaim from critics. Now, almost a year later, Troye’s returned to the album with Cupido Deluxe. Released in a similar fashion to it’s parent (mimial pre-prelease fervor), the new package offers eight new tracks and an interlude, building on the sound and concepts presented in the main album. While there was certainly risk of diminishing the original album’s impact, Troye managed to steer clear of the potholes and deliver something that reinforces what made it’s parent album so special. 

 

The first of the new tracks is “Follow Me”, a song about infatuation and devotion to a lover. The song is another prime example of Troye’s fundamental understanding of what makes pop music work. The production is light and endlessly danceable, likening back to the peak days of disco. In fact, it is one of the most remarkably produced tracks of recent memory, leaving quite the lasting impression. When the disco strings come in the song’s later half, it’s pure euphoric bliss. Lyrically, the song isn’t any deeper than puppy love, but they don’t need to be. The message is clear, his point is made with simplicity. There isn’t a need to go beyond where he went, leaving the song catchy and wholly effective as a slice of near perfect pop. “His Arms” is a sleek and sexy study of a night between two lovers. It’s one of the more brazen explorations of sexuality that’s been heard in a little while, but that’s precisely why it’s so interesting. Troye’s willingness to express his sexuality in the face of criticism from a general public who’s making relatively slow progress in coming to terms with things beyond hetersexuality. He leaves nothing to the imagination and the song is all the better for it. Though he’s frank, he also manages to be delicate and leave enough to suggestion that the song doesn’t feel anything less than artful. It is unfortunately not supported as confidently by it’s production which is fairly mild and inconsequential, but it’s still a notable addition to the tracklist. 

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“Thinking” is on the weaker end of the spectrum in the grand context of the album. The lyrics speak from the perspective of someone who’s been cheated on and has grown aware of what his partner’s done. It’s well written for the most part, only a few choice lines stick out as underwhelming. But what’s missing within those lyrics is a sense of individuality. They’re well written as mentioned, but fit a mold, follow a formula of a well worn subject. The production doesn’t do any heavy lifting to move it to the next level either. It’s completely serviceable, but unremarkable. It is a skippable addition but it wouldn’t be hard to see someone enjoying it at any rate. “Flood” thankfully sees an uptick in quality. The song visits a familiar topic but approaches it in a unique way as Troye has been well known to do. The lyrics speak of a flood of sadness that washes over Troye when he thinks of his absent lover. With the recurring imagery of the flood and cold coffee, Troye manages to create quite a picture. The production is a wonderful partner to the imagery, keeping things restrained but interesting with a variance in the sound and pace. It’s a well made track and one of the most memorable lyrically. “The Shore” is a brief but musically interesting interlude. It’s of course sparse in words, but what it lacks in that department it makes up for in it’s unique production. It of course is an interlude so doesn’t get a long stay, but it’s an intriguing one to say the least. 

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“Summertime Blues” a recent and decently sized hit single for Troye is just as irresistible as it was when we first heard it earlier this year. It’s in fact the strongest addition to the tracklist so far. The production is smooth and plays two sides of a coin with one foot firmly in the modern day and one foot firmly in the past. It’s the marriage of the two sensibilities that makes the song uniquely beautiful. The lyrics are some of Troye’s strongest, creating some of the most vivid imagery he ever has (which is saying something). It’s another example of perfect pop and can be tacked to the wall as more evidence that Troye is one of the best in the game right now. “Never Been Sober” is another pitch perfect addition to the album for totally opposite reasons. It’s meditative, hard to swallow track. But it’s more than worthwhile. Troye is pointing fingers at anyone but himself here and it’s the mature reflection on his own mistakes that makes this such a powerfully moving experience. The production is similarly meditative and powerful. Though it’s simple, it’s also fairly experimental and leaves a lasting impression. It’s a song that stays with you once it’s over, working it’s way in and not letting go until you’ve felt it’s resonance. 

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“Back in Time'' continues the trend of indesepenseble additions to the tracklist, again with a track that leaves quite a bit of sadness in it’s wake. The lyrics look back on a love with a deep ache, an ache only compounded by the emotionally driven production that somehow remains movable. Dance through the sadness, and what a soundtrack to do it to. Troye finishes out on the sublime “No Friend”, the new single from the project. It’s the most emotionally charged song on the project, which is certainly saying something. With a sparse piano arrangement, Troye’s allowed to really shine here with a deeply affecting set of lyrics that takes no prisoners when it comes to reducing the listener to tears. It’s deeply personal and that personality allows this song to soar, even when it’s lyrics speak of being so down. It’s a powerful closer to say the least. 

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Troye managed to avoid falling into the trap of diminishing the strength of the original Cupido by adding tracks that only further highlighted the experience. Most of these songs genuinely are among, if not THE, best of Troye’s career, justifying the existence of the deluxe version by quite some distance. Most of the songs are quite melancholic, but are backed by production that keep things from being totally dour. There’s an air of throwback sensibilities on many of the songs that are joined beautifully with the modern twist, creating a unique sound that’s entirely his.

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Coupled with his strong lyricism and ability to invite listeners into the music as if it’s a fireside chat, it’s an indispensable body of work. Troye is one of the best in the business at the moment and this is further proof of just how much he’s earned the wonderous success and overwhelming acclaim he’s been on the receiving end of this era.

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REVIEW #2: 80/100

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Troye Sivan’s Cupido was a massive era for him in many senses. Aside from the relative commercial success, the album was a critical darling and saw itself nominated for Album of The Year at the GRAMMY Awards last year. Now, following the releases of Girlfriend (Remix) and Summertime Blues, Troye Sivan has released a deluxe edition of his highly acclaimed album that will (hopefully!) reach a similar high standard to that of it’s original.

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The album starts off with Follow Me, a groovy and insanely catchy track. Like, really catchy! I like this! It’s quite simple, but it works effortlessly. The pre-chorus especially is really well written, probably the highlight of the track for me. For how effortless the track feels, the chorus does detract from that a little bit. It’s simple and sweet, with some really nice ideas but the way it’s written just feels a little clunky? It could just be me but it just doesn’t flow as nicely as the rest of the track! His Arms is the next track and it instantly catches me a bit off guard, it feels very different from the previous track. However, it’s been claimed as Sivan’s most daring song yet so i’m interested! I think that’s an accurate title, it’s very detailed and graphic but does so in a very elegant way. Maybe not so much in the bridge but that makes it really refreshing! I have to say, not the biggest fan of the constant rhyming with the same word (magic, dark, around, inside, tied), it doesn’t feel as natural as some of the other lines but it’s not a major issue. The production is incredibly sleek as well, and I think the lyrics tie into it really nicely. However, it does get really repetitive by the end. The bridge, again, is incredibly refreshing both lyrically and production wise, but it does get a little bland by the time we get to that point. But that bridge… definitely a highlight!

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Next we move onto Thinking. It feels quite toned down, but it really fits with the whole idea of just sitting back and thinking. Lyrically, there’s some real highlights in here (especially “Now you’ll forever be just a stranger, in my eyes”!) but also one or two lines that bring it down. The line about spilt milk feels really unnatural and really throws me off. Still there’s a lot of minor details in here that really enhance this track. The constant use of questions really feels like an insight into Troye’s mind and the callbacks to previous lyrics (like the train, the timeframe of days in the first verse, months in the bridge and then years in the outro) really make the track feel solid and whole. There’s a lot of tracks that deal with the idea of water, true. I think there’s an argument to be made that Sivan’s Flood is one of few that tackles the idea with such elegance. I don’t really have much to say here, it’s pretty much flawless. Production wise, it has a similar feeling to His Arms but doesn’t feel as bland and instead glides smoothly alongside the lyrics which are expertly written. If anything, the first verse feels a little out of place but it allows for that little callback in the second verse so I can’t complain.

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There’s not a whole lot to say about The Shore, being an interlude, but I will say that Troye is a genius for following a track about flooding with a track called The Shore… ok anyways! Naming aside, i’ve got to say, it’s not all that memorable. While it sounds good, it doesn’t really have anything special to it? I can’t call it bad but I just really don’t see a massive need for it? Production wise, it does sound really good though! And now onto the lead single for the deluxe edition I guess, Summertime Blues. Again, I don’t really think I can fault this. It’s a perfect semi tropical-esque pop track! There’s not really any highlight lyrically that comes close to some of the other highlights on the record, but it’s probably the most consistent so far. Every element of the song feels like it has it’s place and works perfectly. This is the type of song people will look back on in 5 years as pop perfection and question why it wasn’t a bigger hit. And they’re right!

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Never Been Sober is absolutely the highlight of this album. No doubt about it. Production wise, it’s absolutely flawless, dreamy, elegant and atmospheric. Every single lyric packs a punch exactly the way it’s intended (“I’m losing my mind when I try to forget that I’ve never been sober long enough to regret” is my favourite lyric on the album so far and I don’t see that changing!) and the whole thing just flows together so beautifully to create what is perhaps one of the best songs of the year. It does feel very conclusive though, so i’m interested to see what Troye does with the next track, Back In Time. It’s a hard song to follow up, and I think Back In Time really falls victim to that. The song is solid, but I have to admit it feels a little drowned out among the last two tracks. Everything is fine, but neither the production or the lyrics do anything to really elevate it? I feel like i’m sounding way too harsh on this track because I do like it! It’s catchy, well written, there’s a lot to like here. It just doesn’t live up to some of the other tracks on the album for me!

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Finally, we end with the latest single from the album, No Friend. It’s amazing to see the same man who wrote about spilt milk singing “I remember your lie, but I prefer to be a realist tonight.” Lyrically, there are absolutely no faults to be found. Again, Sivan manages to perfectly express his emotions in a very powerful and elegant manner, with each lyric really packing a punch. I feel like the production is the only thing that stops the track from being absolutely perfect. The track never really goes anywhere which, while not a major issue as it’s the title track and provides a soft conclusion, it would’ve been really powerful to see the track elevate somewhere nearer the end.

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Overall, the album is an incredibly solid body of work. Although it clearly has it’s defined highs (Flood, Never Been Sober), each track is well worth the listen. Some lyrics don’t land as nicely as one would hope, with a big variation between some of the high points and low points, and some of the production can feel held back, but none of the issues hinder the experience at all! One issue I have with the album is really the tracklisting. Certain tracks really shine because of it, but others suffer a bit like Back In Time and His Arms. A little bit of reworking could go a long way I think. Either way, there is no denying that Troye is still on the top of his game and hasn’t lost his charming songwriting abilities.

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REVIEW #3: 75/100

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Following up the Grammy nominated original album, Troye Sivan has chosen to release a deluxe edition of his third studio album ‘Cupido’. And by all metrics, the deluxe tracks raise the bar even higher for the talented songwriter. Driven by the dance-pop and disco influences of its throwback inspired production, ‘Cupido’ deluxe reimagines the album with more to tell. ‘Follow Me’ falls in love, as Troye’s “ dream come true”, finding his perfect match through the soft and flowing lyrics. Contrasting the first track is ‘His Arms’, a more somber ballad which opens up about more sexual relations of Sivan’s in a tasteful, poetic fashion. Focusing on it’s lyrical strengths, ‘His Arms’ is a highlight of the album due to its blatant same sex relationship references being somewhat unheard in music all too often.  Reverting back to the synth pop sounds of the opener, ‘Thinking’ finds the singer in a troubled spot with his relationship. While slower paced than ‘Follow Me’,  the track finds a careful rhythm to match it’s digging chorus lines “When you gave a stranger everything you gave to me? / How did he feel the next morning, was he kind to you? / Or did he see you only as a stranger, the way I now see you?”. ‘Flood’ takes another shift, back to the style of ‘His Arms’ in its more slow dreampop direction. While strong at it’s chorus, the song struggles due to the weak attempt at story telling in its verse lines, with irrelevant coffee references randomly placed. At some point the song feels slightly comedic, is Troye drowning in his coffee? I’m not quite sure, but in comparison with the earlier tracks ‘Flood’ falls a bit flat. Transitioning the rerelease forward, interlude ‘The Shore’ offers a mellow beat to listeners as it progresses with the water references of ‘Flood’. Coming to the airy, danceable ‘Summertime Blues’, Sivan reminisces on better times in his life through tactical beach references. Better developed and certainly catchier than the two songs before it, ‘Summertime Blues’ progresses the album in an enjoyable way: through a radio-friendly future single. Conversely, ‘Never Been Sober’ yet again brings the album to a pause with its lowkey ballad production and emotional lyrics. Opening up about his regrets and mistakes, Troye matches some of the earlier ballad tracks, but with a much more artful and flowing lyrical structure. This strength repeats itself in the more upbeat ‘Back in Time’, which offers listeners a classic dance pop chorus and a well oiled song. And closing the album is the now well known single ‘No Friend’, which delivers perhaps the best instrumental of the album and yet again emotional yet tasteful lyrics. Overall, this rerelease marks another strong collection of songs by the young dinger, yet Troye Sivan fails to properly structure the album in a way that sonically flows, Constantly jumping between upbeat and ballad, ‘Cupido’ deluxe could use a slight tracklist reworking and perhaps a somewhat more captivating overall direction. Serving its purpose, however, the record offers a collection of pretty, comfortable pop songs to add to their playlists.