Katy Perry’s long-awaited fifth studio album ‘Smile’ has finally been released this month – with a tracklist full of her signature pop sound. The album was preceded by singles such as ‘Never Really Over’ – released in May 2019.
The song’s infectious melody and harmonies make it the stand-out track on this album, even over a year after its original release. The rest of the album doesn’t quite stand up to ‘Never Really Over’ – though a couple does come close. The dancefloor-ready ‘Teary Eyes’ emphasizes the key message of this album – working through the hard times, to get your smile back.
In ‘Not the End of the World’, Perry shrugs off the critics that called her 2017 album ‘Witness’ a ‘flop’ – going as far as to say: “Flipping off the flop, now I just enjoy the ride”. It does feel genuine, Perry seems much more carefree this time round.
However, certain tracks on the album just seem like something we have heard before from Perry. Tracks like ‘Smile’ and ‘Tucked’ sound like something from the ‘Teenage Dream’ cutting-room floor – which wouldn’t have made it to the album because they simply aren’t good enough.
Watch the official video of the album by Katy Perry below:
Overall, ‘Smile’ is a collection of catchy pop songs that don’t show much growth as an artist. Is the album fun to listen to? Yes. Is it anything groundbreaking? No. But that isn’t the point of this album, Perry released an album to make her fans smile – and that, it did.
