Something To Give Each Other - Troye Sivan: Review

Troye Sivan

is an Australian pop singer who made his major label transition nearly a full decade ago. His commercial breakthrough came alongside the song Youth and various singles for his 2018 album Bloom. Though he's had a five-year drought of studio albums in the years since he also released the In A Dream EP in 2021. Earlier this year, Troye released the new single Rush earlier this year which became his biggest solo hit since Youth.

Review By Lav: 

I've always enjoyed Troye Sivan. Even though his earliest material was too sappy teen pop for me he always felt like there was more to him and he proved it on Bloom. While the album didn't do much in its most reserved moments aside from a great duet with Ariana Grande, the poppiest tracks in the bunch were fantastic. That's why I was pretty excited for this record which led off and opens up with Sivan's best song to date, Rush. But beyond that track the album mostly sees Troye returning to his reserved and nocturnal pop stylings and they're similarly flat. 

For that reason, I can't really conjure up a whole lot to say about the record. Well, that's not entirely true, I could write a full-length review of Rush alone. This was one of the definitive songs of the summer and I think everyone knows it. The song has smart promotion which ultimately led me to be a bit hesitant going into it but I have no reservations about calling it Troye's best song yet. It has a killer hook, a simple but infectious beat, and unashamedly queer energy that feels truly and blissfully dancy in the way to few pop songs are actually able to achieve. 

Rush isn't the only highlight on the album though. I like One Of Your Girls more and more every time I hear it with dreamy instrumentation that includes chiptune synths and subtle vocal effects on the chorus. Plus I love the way it plays with gender roles thematically, I'm not surprised this was picked as a single. Closing track How To Stay With You emerged as another favorite mostly because it's another song with some thematic intrigue. The warbly synth breakdown on the chorus sounds great even if the breathy vocals don't seem perfect for a song with this much thudding impact. 

The second single Got Me Started didn't blow me away as a single and I still think it's just okay. The pre-chorus is absolutely great but the little pitched-up hook doesn't really do much for me. It kind of sounds like something Brockhampton would have put on GINGER just not nearly as catchy, On the record ic comes back to back with Can't Go Back a song I like despite its "lo-fi beats to study to" type sound. The gentle production and performances complement each other really well and the sample on the chorus surprisingly goes along well. 

But for the rest of the record, there isn't that much to say. What's The Time Where You Are? is okay and I like the atmosphere it helps create with the vocal samples. Ultimately, it's the very average refrains that hold the song back. Still Got It does mostly plod along aimlessly with this very meek sound. It reminds me of the weaker ballads from Bloom more than anything else. I do think the weird glitchy outro is the only thing that really grabs my attention in the song.

Speaking of plodding along aimlessly In My Room might be my least favorite song here. The breathy singing and underwhelming hook combine to a deep lack of any intrigue. Given that it also isn't particularly sexy it just falls flat on its face. Silly is similarly punchless with these super flat little synth loops serving as a "beat" but they're barely present on the song. That's amazing because it's such a sonically reserved track that it feels like it's not even present in itself. And that I think you could make an argument Honey is even more forgettable. 

I really wanted to like this album. I was anticipating liking this album. But despite taking a big risk on a lead single that massively paid off, this album is the exact opposite of risky. Across the deep cuts here Troye sprints back to a sound that is deeply familiar and one that I think has run its course. It's inoffensive in ways that keep it from being outright garish or bad, but also hold it back from being very compelling. The result is just a deeply okay album. 5.5/10

For more pop check out my review of Olivia Rodrigo's GUTS