I am SO excited to be writing this post. Three nights ago at 11:23 PM I got an iTunes notification that said "Your pre-order of the album Blue Neighbourhood (Deluxe) is available."
At 10 PM I set an alarm for 10:45 PM and went to sleep for a bit so I could wake up in time for the album release. I woke up (it had felt like no time had passed at all) and texted my friends to see if they were still awake because we planned to listen to the album together, just like we had for Troye's EP WILD.
As I was counting down to 11:00 PM with all of my fellow Troye fans on twitter, my stomach was flipping over and over and my heart was beating faster and faster. At 11:00 I went straight to my iTunes account - the album wasn't there. I wasn't too nervous because most people on Twitter hadn't gotten it either. I guess so many people pre-ordered that it took a while to distribute to everyone's phones LOL (I don't know, just a guess).
Slowly the minutes passed on and my friend and I (we were FaceTiming) still hadn't received the album. Every time I checked Twitter a new tweet of a lyric of one of Troye's songs appeared because the people who did have the album were freaking out, haha. I was freaking out for a different reason. WHERE IS THE ALBUM I PRE-ORDERED??
Izzy (the beautiful, amazing friend I was FaceTiming) still hadn't gotten hers, so I waited with her. Finally, we both had it. We were ready to hear Blue Neighbourhood.
Today's post is a review of the album, but also I hope you all listen to the album, or some of the songs on it. This post did take me a while to write, but I enjoyed every minute because it's about something/someone I love. My description/review of each song includes what some of the songs mean (either what Troye told us or my take on the song), my favorite line(s), and actual descriptions of the background music/elements of the song. Here we go, I hope you enjoy!
Troye released an EP titled
WILD on September 4 (happy 3 month anniversary) compiled of 6 songs. Those 6 songs are still a part of Blue Neighbourhood, they were kind of like a teaser for what was to come. That leaves 10 new songs!
1. WILD
WILD is definitely a windows down, singing with your friends type song. The song starts off, "Tryin' hard not to fall..." Troye says it can be thought of two different ways, so there's multiple ways to interpret it, both literal and figurative. The words "blue neighbourhood" are included in this song only, so I find it really special. There are so many good sounds going on in the background - the crowd singing along in some parts, the snaps & claps, the dings, everything just goes together so well. I think it's a really cute/romantic yet very upbeat song about falling completely in love. WILD was
Part 1 of Troye's Blue Neighbourhood music video trilogy.
2. BITE
When the WILD EP came out, BITE was my favorite song out of the 6. It's about Troye going to a gay club, so it's different to most songs on the album as some of the lyrics are graphic, haha. Even so, the electronic/techno beat throughout the whole song is a blend of so many different sounds, like WILD, that make it sound sort of futuristic. The echoing of Troye's voice makes it sound quite dark, too.
3. FOOLS
Most people may not believe it, but FOOLS was written in 30 minutes! Half an hour! Such a short amount of time for such a masterpiece. This song was
Part 2 of the trilogy. FOOLS embodies the idea of unrequited love, as Troye called it (loving someone and them not loving you back). He said the chorus was about him always being away (on tour, etc.), so only fools fall for him. In his Q&A back in September he said he was in a much happier place than when he was writing FOOLS so that makes me happy. Anyway, my favorite part of this song is probably the bass drop right before the chorus. Even though it's a sad song, it's guaranteed to get you up and singing. It has that electronic pop element to it.
4. EASE (ft. Broods)
The first song I heard sung by Broods was Bridges. It was a cover done by Sarah Close and I absolutely fell in love with the song & the music group itself. So when they collaborated with Troye it was like a dream come true. I was also really happy because I know he's a huge fan of theirs as well. EASE starts off as a conversation between Troye and his mum, making sure that he's okay. Then progresses to be a conversation between him and his baby/boyfriend ;) It's all about becoming relaxed by thinking "of all the things that make you feel at ease." Sometimes when Georgia & Caleb (Broods) are singing their voices are very faint/in the background, so even though they're subtle they add SO much to the song. Then they have their solo and your body is taken over by these beautiful voices that are similar to Troye's, yet so different. Their solo, if you really listen to the lyrics, is quite sad, but the higher pitch and gentle sound kind of create a sense of anticipation.
5. THE QUIET
It took me a while to realize that the big "click" sound towards the end of this song is a gun being loaded. I had always thought it was a lock being locked. That's why anytime I listened to it, I felt really safe. Anyway, I believe this song, in simple terms, is about getting the silent treatment. All the way up to the chorus, momentum is built up and then you have this really cool echo/overlay in the background. The syllables in the words Troye sings are really emphasized throughout this song - you can hear every word he says so clearly, so to me it feels very powerful.
6. DKLA (ft. Tkay Maidza)
The beginning of the song starts off with sounds of rain pouring, slowly, slowly until you hear a huge bass drop. Then Troye's rich, unmistakable voice comes in and steals the show. DKLA stands for "Don't keep love around," as the song is all about heart break :( Then we have Tkay come in and blow us all away with her incredible rapping skills. Yes, the song is about getting your heart torn out, thrown on the ground and stomped on, but if you are going through a heart break, I think this will make you feel on top of the world. It might take a while, but I think the lyrics are quite liberating.
So those 6 songs were all on the WILD EP, but are also part of Blue Neighbourhood. Here are the 10 other songs on the Deluxe album!
7. Talk Me Down
This song was
Part 3 of the BN trilogy. When I first heard it, I fell in love instantly. It starts off calm, then towards the middle it speeds up a bit. All the while, you have this beautifully put together background music that creates momentum. After the bridge, the music picks up and really hits you in the feels. It's quite a sad song as I feel like it's about wanting something/someone to comfort you & wanting to be with someone, but you're in that middle ground (Troye called it a limbo, lol) - you don't know where you stand.
8. COOL
COOL starts off with a very catchy beat and a really nice rhyme. I feel like Troye's accent really comes through in this song. In the beginning, his true, raw voice comes through and then progresses into his melodic voice. The background music is made up of so many sounds that fit perfectly together - chimes, dings, some sort of shaking sound that's really intriguing, and hard beats/taps. My favorite line is "I'm a spark and you're a boom."
9. HEAVEN (ft. Betty Who)
The message that comes through in this song is something I'd never really thought about before. Troye said the hardest person to come out to was himself. He said in a promo video for this song, "If there is a heaven, but I can't be myself up there, then maybe I don't want heaven." Troye says he has high hopes to have kids one day, despite being gay. I think that really captures the song's main message of not knowing what's to come/the future. The line "counting to fifteen, counting to fifteen" is about Troye counting to calm himself down when he felt anxious, and he came out when he was 15. The song itself not only holds so much emotion, but it's also symbolic. Troye and Betty's voices blend
so well together, so much so that the song is angelic. The background vocals throughout the song singing "ooh" make it all the more haunting (in a good way).
10. YOUTH
I had heard YOUTH before the entire album came out because Troye released it along with Talk Me Down beforehand. Whenever this song plays, I imagine I'm in a RV or van on a road trip with my friends. The windows are down, our hair is blowing in the wind, and we're singing at the top of our lungs. I feel like the song just embodies a message of
freedom. Live while you're young. You can hear a crowd singing along in some parts, Troye has done this in a few of his songs, and it makes the song
that much more upbeat. If you're down in the dumps, I guarantee this will bring a smile to your face. I mean, you can't listen to this one and
not dance.
11. LOST BOY
Now, this one is up there in my top 3. I can't explain how LOST BOY makes me feel. It's quite a sad song, but even so it's really catchy and has that unique "Troye element." One of my favorite lines is "I leave you one last kiss on your pillow before I fly away." I told you it was sad :( But, his voice is so soft and hits the notes perfectly. After he sings "not ready to be found" you start to hear these xylophone type sounds that, to me, signal
hope. During the bridge, he sounds so vulnerable which makes my heart hurt, aw.
12. for him. (ft. Allday)
Sooo, for him. is a love letter type song. You'll notice that it's all lowercase. Troye said he had the file saved on his computer for so long and it was spelled with lowercase letters, so he thought it fit to keep it that way. I think that's so cute. This whole song is cute, haha. It starts off kind of like COOL does, with that talking type voice. The beat is unlike what predicted, I thought it would be slower. But, I love it so much because it truly feels like Troye is talking and having a conversation; I don't know, maybe I'm crazy. Then it moves on to the cutest lyrics you'll ever hear. "You don't have to say I love you to say I love you," "We've been making shades of purple out of red and blue," "We're like two halves of one heart." All the lyrics flow so perfectly; it's such a sweet, romantic song. And Allday's rap just makes me laugh. If you read the lyrics you'll know why. I had never heard of him before, his voice is unlike anything I've ever heard! This song is one of the happiest on the album, and it makes me feel really good.
13. SUBURBIA
Another one in my top 3. A lot of people associate SUBURBIA with nostalgia because it talks about history and the past (and because the word is in one of the lyrics lol). I feel like this song is really truthful and a lot of people can relate to it. The song talks about how things
do change, and it's hard to let go. As we grow, we change & the people around us change - that's why I think this song is so relatable. The piano is so easy to pick out and focus on towards the quieter parts of the song. Because most of the song is made up of string instruments, when the piano is played it feels empowering. My favorite lines are: "There's so much history in these streets, and mama's good eats, Oh Wonder on repeat." I don't think I've mentioned this on my blog, but I LOVE Oh Wonder! Plus, that line is so catchy.
14. TOO GOOD
This song is slow and passionate. The notes on the piano follow each other so slowly, and the silence is filled with Troye's voice. Right around :28-:29 is this horror movie type, eery sound that just adds to the song's overall evocativeness. The way Troye's voice gets higher and then goes right back down at some points just leaves the hairs on the back of my neck standing up. The line that stick out to me the most is: "So I take a sip, wait 'til it hits, that liquid guilt is on my lips." It's such a sensual line; this song is unlike any other on the album. Even though BITE was about being in a gay club, I feel like this one is slightly more special. This song also has a guitar solo towards the end, which adds to how much it stands out among the rest.
15. BLUE (ft. Alex Hope)
Alex worked with Troye on several songs on the album, and I'm so glad she sings in one of them. Her voice is so gentle and WILL bring tears to your eyes. Troye starts off the song (again, with that beautiful piano) and Alex comes in with a
bang that's subtle, yet hits you right in the heart. Then their voices come together and it's the most perfect match; they complement each other's voices. There are also claps in the background of the song which make it so fun to sing along to. My favorite line is sung by Alex: "I know you're seeing black and white, so I'll paint you a clear, blue sky." I think the song is either about two people separating/going their separate ways or one person is leaving the other. Either way, it's a sad song that will more than likely make you cry but you'll love because the vocals are so pure and the lyrics are so sincere.
16. WILD - XXYYXX REMIX
Ah, we've made it to the end. I'm pretty sure this remix has been used in some of Troye's latest videos as his outro. For some reason, it reminds me of his very first outro (Good Thymes - Ray Charles). Alex Hope actually begins the remix! She sings the first line: "You make my heart shake, bend and break." That line isn't first in the original song so I thought that was a clever alteration. Both the original song and the remix are upbeat, so if you ever need another song to dance to: here it is.
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WOW! That was a long post. Congratulations and thank you if you made it to the end! I might not be an amazing critic/review-er, but I did have fun doing it! I love every single one of these songs an incredible amount. They are all so special in their own way, and they are all sung by one of my favorite people in the world.
If you'd like to buy the album, it's available on iTunes RIGHT NOW! If you have Spotify, it's also available there - both the regular album and the deluxe. If you do listen, let me know which song(s) is/are your favorite!
I am so, immensely proud of Troye & how far he has come. It amazes me how much he has accomplished, how dedicated he is, and how many people he has made laugh & smile.
If you'd like to, I'd greatly appreciate it if you shared this link/post with him, he means so much to me <3
Troye, you're a beautiful person both inside and out. This album is pure gold, a work of art. I love you & am so proud of you, you will never understand how much. You have grown so much the past few years and your voice has evolved to be even more beautiful, mellifluous, and expressive. I can hear your passion for music in every song. You mean the world to me and I can't wait to see what the future brings. I love you, Troye boy.
Thank you so much for reading. This post will always hold a special place in my heart.
*computer hug*
