"The constant oscillation between tenors over the album's 12 tracks creates a battle to maintain lyrical focus and intensity, which Nokia handles to mixed success. She's at her best when she locks into the understated flow rooted in the tradition of her city's boom-bap rap that barely rises above the whisper: "I'm drinking blood in the mountain, I got the fountain of youth/I'm scaring men off with rumors, can't tell the lies from the truth," she raps along ghostly shrieks"
""Drop Dead Gorgeous" lands like a Charli XCX bootleg where the BPM doesn't reach the threshold to become the banger that it wants to be, and her musings feel like they should be backing a TikTok edit of a Bodies Bodies Bodies fan-cam."
"But there are enough moments where the enthralling production overpowers the more cliché leanings. "Matcha Cherry" is quite lush, with layered strings swirling underneath as her voice crescendos to the refrain, "I'm in love with her, see myself in her, I think I know that, girl." The switch between the murkiness and blown-out bassline helps "Gossip Girl" leap into "club hit" territory, giving the satirical lyrical tone a bit more oomph on the back of Tenebrae-like synths."
Nokia's album alternates vocal tenors across 12 tracks, creating a struggle to sustain lyrical focus and intensity. The strongest moments occur when she adopts an understated, boom-bap-rooted whisper, notably on "Blue Velvet," where ghostly shrieks and pounding drums accompany vivid lines about the fountain of youth. Several productions resemble unfinished demos, reducing impact when paired with surface-level writing. "Drop Dead Gorgeous" flirts with Charli XCX energy without sufficient BPM, while "Pink Bronco" channels an ethereal register reminiscent of Lana Del Rey. Lush production elevates "Matcha Cherry" and propels "Gossip Girl" toward club-ready territory with Tenebrae-like synths.
Read at Pitchfork
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