Review

Right, let's get one thing straight from the off: nobody asked for this. When the announcement dropped that TikTok's golden child was pivoting from dance videos to a proper recording career, the collective eye-roll from music critics could practically be heard from space. Yet here we are with *Addison*, a debut that's far more sophisticated than anyone dared expect—and frankly, that's rather irritating. What's most vexing about Rae's self-titled effort isn't its inevitable commerciality, but how bloody good it actually sounds. This isn't some hastily cobbled-together vanity project designed to capitalise on her 88 million followers. Instead, it's a genuinely thoughtful exploration of what modern pop can be when it's not desperately chasing algorithmic approval. The album opener "New York" immediately establishes Rae's intentions: this is club-ready euphoria with actual substance beneath the shimmering surface. The track throws listeners into Rae's world with a club-ready aesthetic that manages to feel both familiar and refreshingly distinct. It's the sound of someone who's clearly been paying attention to pop's recent evolution whilst carving out her own sonic territory. What emerges across these tracks is a new pop powerhouse who understands that hedonism needn't be hollow. The production throughout is genuinely stellar—all dreamy synths and stuttering beats that glitch and dissolve just when you think you've got them sussed. It's pop music that pairs high-brow sonic references with broader emotional strokes, mostly managing this balancing act without feeling contrived or calculated. Lyrically, Rae opts for digestible one-liners and definitive affirmations that could easily veer into Instagram caption territory, yet somehow retain their impact. There's a self-awareness here that suggests she knows exactly what people expect from a "TikTok star's album" and deliberately subverts those expectations at every turn. The inevitable accusations of being an "industry plant" feel rather beside the point when the music itself is this compelling. If this is manufactured pop, then frankly, we could use more manufacturing of this calibre. Ed Sheeran's recent endorsement might raise eyebrows amongst the purists, but it's hard to argue with the quality on display. *Addison* succeeds because it doesn't apologise for what it is. In an era where pop music often feels afraid of its own commercial impulses, Rae embraces the artifice whilst ensuring there's genuine artistry beneath the gloss. It's pop music for the post-*BRAT* generation—knowing, playful, and surprisingly substantial. The real surprise isn't that Addison Rae made an album. It's that she made one this good. Now that's genuinely irritating—in the very best possible way.

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