Fame is a gun and ‘Addison’ is a sure shot

By Antonio Machado

Copy Editor

In the age of Tik Tok, where fame is given out like a deck of cards to any unsuspecting teenager, the music industry has repeatedly been dealt multiple dud hands.

The abundance of influencers who try to capitalize on their social media popularity to propel themselves into a music career has resulted in an industry oversaturated with unremarkable pop music.

Addison Rae is not one of these influencers.

After years coining the persona of a ditzy girl-next-door making 15 second dance videos and toe-dipping in teenage controversy, Rae has reinvented herself as, not as just a pop star, but as a true artist.

 “AR,” Rae’s debut EP, was a naïve toe dip into the immense sea of pop, regurgitating some of the most basic, formulaic pop music, yet it simultaneously contained ripples of greatness - an unreleased Lady Gaga track and a feature from Charli XCX.

Her debut album, “Addison,” however, is a nosedive straight into the depths.

Piercing, refined, and most importantly, well-executed, “Addison” is everything missing from contemporary modern pop music.

Working alongside Luka Klosser and Elvira Anderfjärd, who were, similarly to Rae's musical prowess, undiscovered until the release of this record, Rae combines sonic influences from some of the greatest artists in history with an effervescent, youthful femininity.

“Diet Pepsi,” the lead single of the record and also the most successful track of the album, colors outside the melancholic lines Lana Del Rey drew, clearly under but not wholly adhering to the influence.

The starry-eyed trip to the Big Apple in “New York” is somehow a pastiche Y2K dance track, yet it’s grounded in a 2020s jersey beat, all brought together by Rae’s playfulness.

When Rae began the rollout for “Addison,” the authenticity of her sound was immediately brought to question by those who were unwilling to see past the TikTok persona, but the siren song of “Aquamarine” is too off-kilter not to be authentic.

The aforementioned track combines “Ray of Light” stylings of Madonna with an Ariana Grande-esque breathy falsetto. Rae’s hypnotic narcissism swims beautifully atop four-on-the-floor synths.

“Addison” is decorated by a rose-colored escapism, too enthralled by her success and youth to worry about the woes of her past and the fears of what comes next. The record playfully glitters above the ground yet it feels the dangers of landing.

Rae finds comfort in herself. “Addison” is an album riddled with self-doubt yet soothed by a wellspring of affirmations. Rae acknowledges that she knows the “lows are what make the highs higher,” in the closing track, “Headphones On,” a cloudy sky trip-hop R&B standout.

“Addison” is more than just introspective. Rae sits within a jar of fame, meditating in the incessant scent of uncertainty while enjoying the sight of the world in front of her. It’s narratively succinct and polished while also sonically cohesive, every track possessing a sensual haze.

In this record, Rae most succeeds in her ability to admire her influences, and then kiss them away to create her own sound.

“Summer Forever” is a sun-kissed version of Del Rey, not plagued by the blues, but instead, basking in the hues of young love, decorated by a wind that is only felt at sunrise with the windows rolled down.

Yet, she juxtaposes that joy by concealing her tears “In The Rain.” She dances hand-in-hand with her melancholy on this near house track, singing, “Misunderstood, but I’m not gonna sweat it / Isn’t it all for the show? / Keeping a smile on my face for protection / Turning my tears into gold.”

She allows herself to open up in “Times Like These” asking, “Am I too young to be this mad? / Am I too young to blame my Dad?” After so much time in the fickle spotlight of a phone screen, Rae understands the capricious and transient nature of fame, and similarly, she carries with her all the insecurities of wishing to hold on to said fame.

“Addison” knows everyone is watching to see what she does next. “You’ve got a front row seat, and I got a taste of the glamorous life,” she sings in “Fame is a Gun.”

This is a record constructed by someone who is completely self-aware of who she is, who she is perceived as, and who she wants to become. “Addison” is bold, concise, and experimental. In the noisy scrolling of modern fame, “Addison” hits play - on herself.

Rating: A-

Music speaks. Music is power. Music is wow.