Troye Sivan
Bloom
Release Date: Aug 31, 2018
Genre(s): Pop/Rock
Record label: Capitol
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Album Review: Bloom by Troye Sivan
Exceptionally Good, Based on 4 Critics
Based on rating 5/5
With his triumphant second album, the Perth pop star tears away all the filters to share a deliriously upbeat statement that washes over you like a dopamine rush Following in the footsteps of more or less every other chancing pop star in waiting, Troye Sivan has taken his turn guesting at a Taylor Swift concert. Sivan's appearance, however, stood out when he nearly outshone his host. Strutting down the lengthy runway of Pasadena's Rose Bowl for around 90,000 fans (no biggy) without missing a beat of 'My My My!', he cut the picture of an artist well-versed in mega-proportioned stadiums.
Based on rating 9/10
Like the sad queer romance narratives that came before it, we saw our queer failure reflected in its songs, and it gave us an idealistic picture of doomed love to compare our own banal romantic disappoint with. The album's accompanying film, The Blue Neighbourhood Trilogy, presented a scripted version of the album's mood: a melodramatic, sun-dappled summer love story between two boys that ended in death. It resonated with self-confessed hopeless romantics, and aligned with the self-flagellating desire for our lives to resemble narrative arcs that need to be resolved.
Based on rating 8/10
Seizing his moment with a tight set of glimmering pop confections, Australian singer/songwriter Troye Sivan embraces his role as a budding LGBT icon with Bloom, his aptly titled sophomore effort that signals his sexual awakening and personal growth into adulthood. On his 2016 debut, Blue Neighbourhood, fans met the boy; here, Sivan introduces them to a bold and fearless man. Brave and unapologetic, Bloom bursts forth with confidence, grace, and poise, allowing listeners to peek into a world that includes fumbles and mistakes, but also pure joy and romance.
Based on rating 7.5/10
I'm willing to go out on a limb and say that Troye Sivan gets it. The Australian YouTuber-turned-pop star has all the qualifications you'd look for in a modern-day gay icon--a devoted army of long-time fans, elfin features, celebrities and designers on speed dial--and the good sense to recognize how meaningless and outmoded that kind of title is. "I just don't represent everybody, because I'm extraordinarily lucky," Sivan told British style magazine Another Man in May.
'Bloom'
is available now