Out of all the Indie Pop artists on the rise right now, Rebecca Black’s career has been one of the most fascinating to follow. If you were online at all in the early 2010s, this is a name you probably recognize. For better or worse(probably worse, to be honest), she will always be associated with her cheesy and fun viral song ‘Friday.’ This song became one of the most iconic memes of the early 2010s, and will probably always be what she is remembered for on some level. To her credit, Rebecca Black never seemed to shy away from the positive and negative attention this song released. She knew she could never live it down, and kind of embraced it for what it is. Rebecca Black has seemed to be determined to not let this early moment in her career define her, though, and has steadily been releasing music ever since. Over the last few years, though, it feels like she has really begun to find her stride and realize who she wants to be as an artist. This renaissance for her career started in 2021 with the release of her EP Rebecca Black Was Here. This project saw Rebecca Black veer away from the mainstream, going with a more HyperPop approach to her production and darker elements to her lyrics. It was well received by Pop fans and critics, and showed there was much more than what meets the eye with Rebecca Black. She followed up this EP with her debut album, Let Her Burn, in 2023. Once again, this album was well-received, as it saw Rebecca Black lean further into the big HyperPop music she had been starting to excel at making. Rebecca Black has now returned with a new project called SALVATION, which I wanted to give some thoughts about below. Please let me know in the comments what your favorite songs are from Rebecca Black’s SALVATION, and also comment on how you feel about it as a whole.
Rebecca Black starts the project on a pretty intense and exciting note with the title track. ‘Salvation’ has a pretty interesting, vast tone to it. The instrumental has a very cold and metallic Deep House sound. There is something fierce and frigid about it that is inviting and forlorn at the same time. The instrumental shifts to being pretty sunny and bubbly on the hook, though, giving the song a charming appeal. Rebecca Black’s vocals throughout ‘Salvation’ go very well with its shifting tone. The way she talks/raps the verses is pretty icy, and the tone she sings with on the hook is super warm. ‘Salvation’ kicks off this project on a very strong note. The project’s lead single, ‘TRUST!,’ comes next. This single definitely got me excited for the project’s potential when I first heard it. Throughout this song, Rebecca mentions she “feels like Gaga,” which seems to fit because this song reminds me of her. In particular, it makes me think of the weirder ElectroHouse-themed music we got on her album ArtPop. The melody is driven by a dark and groovy guitar complemented by fat synths. The beat is fast and abrasive, making ‘TRUST!’ feel huge and looming. Rebecca Black’s vocals are very rangey on this one. Her tone and flow change throughout the track, and it gives the song so many textures. ‘TRUST!’ was a great lead single, as it stands out for its sound and vocals. Next comes the other single from the record, ‘Sugar Water Cyanide.’ Admittedly, this single didn’t grab me a ton when it came out, but it is starting to grow on me within the context of the project. The melody for ‘Sugar Water Cyanide’ has a pretty cute and bright sound, making the song very floaty. At times, this melody cuts out, though, which changes the feeling of the song to pretty grainy. The beat on this one is fast-paced but a lot lighter than what we get on the first two tracks. This one feels significantly softer, even if it is just as glitchy and intricate. To put it simply, the vocals on ‘Sugar Water Cyanide’ are pretty crazy. Rebecca Black’s rapping on this one is pitched in so many different ways throughout the track. Even though it is pretty strange, it does keep me on my toes and intrigue me as a listener. ‘Sugar Water Cyanide’ is probably the most outlandish song of the project to this point(which says a lot), and it takes a few listens to really get into it, but there is something pretty cool going on here. We go from very outside the box from ‘Sugar Water Cyanide’ to well within the box on ‘American Doll.’ This is definitely the most typical-sounding song to this point. Although dialing things back a bit may have been a decent idea after how the project begins, it does make this one feel almost mundane in a way. What is crazy is that when compared to other Pop artists releasing music right now this one still feels pretty strange. Most of the track has a fairly ordinary Electro-Pop sound and rhythm, but the hook does shake things up and give the song a harsher element. As far as the vocals go, this is probably the most low-key song so far as well. Rebecca Black’s vocals are decent on this one, but they do not do anything to take it over the top in any way. ‘American Doll’ would probably be one of the most thrilling songs for most Pop artists, but it almost feels too ordinary in this context.
I am always a fan of a song with a pretty soft opening that builds anticipation and emphasis as it progresses. ‘Tears In My Pocket’ is a song that totally scratches that itch for me. When this song begins, it feels as if we are going backwards in energy and are going to get a way-softer track. As the first chorus hits, though, the melody and beat get exceedingly bigger and glitchier. The melody for this track is far more melancholy and downtrodden than the first four tracks. It is driven by what sounds like a highly synthesized electric guitar riff that has a retro and modern feeling at the same time. Rebecca Black’s vocals on this track are actually pretty dialed back but that is okay because of how robotic the beat is. I feel like the vocals almost give the song a buffer that makes it inviting. ‘Tears In My Pocket’ is a cool song that rises and becomes larger and larger as it moves along, ‘Do You Even Think About Me?’ is a song with a pretty similar energy to the one that precedes it. Like that one, the song starts off with a pretty tame and melancholy sound and becomes bigger and more intense as it progresses. After the first verse, an intense and larger-than-life techno beat comes in, making the song feel intense and massive. I love the energy of this instrumental, as it is so fun and raucous. Rebecca Black’s vocals on this one are solid as well, as they match the sort of downtrodden yet spritely energy of the instrumental well. ‘Do You Even Think About Me?’ is a sad yet huge bop that will get any dance floor jumping. Rebecca Black closes out the project on a groovy and exciting note with ‘Twist The Knife.’ This song has the energy of a 1990s EuroPop track, which I am obviously into. The song is driven by a funky synthetic bass line complemented by high-key, shimmering synths. The melody gives the song an epic feeling which I dig a lot. The beat for ‘Twist The Knife’ has an enthralling old-school EDM sound with a Trance tint that I dig a ton. Rebecca Black’s vocals on this one are delicate yet powerful, and they make the song feel inviting yet forlorn. ‘Twist The Knife’ closes out the project with a captivating climax, and it sends this out emphatically.
I am not going to lie, Rebecca Black’s SALVATION is a project I was really looking forward to. Not only did what she accomplished on her 2023 album Let Her Burn make me see the potential in this one, but the lead single from SALVATION, ‘TRUST!’ enticed me as well(like I mentioned, the other single, ‘Sugar Water Cyanide,’ didn’t grab me as much, but I still saw the vision). If you look online, this project has been somewhat polarizing. There are some who are comparing it to Charli XCX and think Rebecca Black could be the next one up. There are others who think it’s over-the-top and corny and do not feel it. My opinion definitely veers to the former; I think SALVATION is a very cool project where Rebecca Black shows how talented an artist she is. I can see the Charli comparisons for sure, but Rebecca Black also differentiates herself on this project. One thing I really enjoy about all of the instrumentals is just how big they are. Every song here has power and almost feels anthemic. I did not talk about the lyrics throughout this review, but I did want to shout out my appreciation for Rebecca Black’s writing on this project. Rebecca Black has an intriguing tongue-in-cheek way of writing that is a bit comedic but also deep and poignant which can grab the listener a bit. Rebecca Black’ shows some pretty solid vocal chops throughout SALVATION as well. It is clear she is getting better and better as a vocalist, and I feel like she extends herself nicely throughout this project. Overall, SALVATION is a very good effort from Rebecca Black, showing how much she stands out for her unique take on Pop music. She has more than proven she can be a full-fledged Pop star, and it seems like things will continue to go up for her from here.
EAST SIDE VIBES 