Katy Perry’s foray back into pop was her audacious single, “WOMAN’S WORLD,” in July. For the star made famous by hits like “Firework” and “Teenage Dream,” it was meant to serve as a preview track that would introduce a new era of her work. The song is an attempt at feminist heroism, preaching that “It’s a woman’s world and you’re lucky to be livin’ in it” — yet, it failed, and we’re anything but lucky.
Beyond its subpar lyricism, the song garnered criticism largely due to her collaboration with Dr. Luke, a producer with multiple sexual misconduct allegations. The affiliation makes Perry’s album-opening single about feminism seem less than genuine — almost satirical. Her blunt lyrics, “She’s a winner, champion / Superhuman, number one / She’s a sister, she’s a mother,” are mere statements of fact to most listeners. It is hard to believe that Perry’s lyrics would appeal to female audiences simply by centering women. The launch of the album “143” on Sept. 20 seems to not only suffer from a credit list that includes an alleged perpetrator of sexual abuse but also from an underwhelming tracklist.
“143” features 11 songs with collaborations with artists including 21 Savage, Doechii and Kim Petras. The album occasionally attempts to engage listeners through EDM and pop tracks like “LIFETIMES,” in which Perry expresses her love for her daughter to flashy synths: “I’m gonna love you ’til the end and then repeat it.” A snippet of the song was released and dubbed an “Ibiza joint” by radio DJ Zane Lowe in an Apple Music interview, leading it to be highly anticipated by fans. However, when “143” fully debuted, fan expectations were let down. “LIFETIMES” in its entirety feels overprocessed and uninspired, almost as if it was produced as a class project, and the album’s other tracks prove to be no different.
On “GIMME GIMME,” a track that was supposed to explore sensuality, 21 Savage lingers in an unusual vagueness, singing “Five stars whenever we eat (Yeah) / All I know is this feelin’ is deep (Deep).” Some of the innuendoes like, “Quarters, I don’t do dimes (No dimes) / Stones on her neck, they shine (Bling),” are glaringly obvious. Tracks like “ALL THE LOVE,” which explore a rebound from romantic hopelessness, lack gritty or introspective lyricism that would provide a sense of depth. The themes Perry set out to explore come across as lackluster in-depth, so generic they seem AI-generated. The innuendos are tired, and the lyrics meant to punch barely graze a cut.
“143” relies on the success of Perry’s previous creations to shape her new musical direction. But existing in a post-2010s context, she struggles to balance the nostalgia of previous projects with the tastes of the Gen-Z audience that she hopes to appeal to. The songs sound repetitive and heavily dependent on sampling and looping, from Crystal Waters’ song “Gypsy Woman (La Da Dee La Da Da)” in “I’M HIS, HE’S MINE” featuring Doechii. The whole era was supposed to be her big departure from her pop sound. However, in reality, “143” is just as mainstream as anything else on the radio. With big drums and heavy synths, there’s nothing new about her backing tracks. Combining that with the lackluster lyrics, there’s no chance for the album to shine.
The dialogue surrounding the album could render “143” this year’s most talked about release — just not for its artistic expression or musicality. Rather, it gets lost while attempting to recreate musical history, rendering its sound thoughtless.
Contact Kaitlyn Sze Tu at [email protected].
