By: James Southworth
Rating: 1.5/5
My relationship with Hot 100 artists is overall very straightforward. There are some good ones out there that I think make good music have some songs that do deserve to gain attention. But, at the end of the day, I usually detest the Hot 100. Most of the songs and artists on it don't feel all that genuine. The music that these charts produce as of late is empty, repetitive, and often emphasizes on sexuality, materialism, and popularity as the best things in the world. One artist I feel has always been representative of this common pop culture ideology is Katy Perry. I'll admit, I enjoy some of the songs that she did when she was doing the pop punk style; "Hot N Cold" is catchy and fun (also her best song). But once she went full pop, I've never understood why people like her so much. From "E.T." to "Dark Horse", I've never felt there was much in the way of interesting content in Katy's music. I think this new album "Witness", which already seems like it alienates her fans, is easily her worst release. It truly shows why even when Perry claims to to be making "purposeful pop", her music overall only produces a hollow shell.
I always try my best to be open-minded on any album as a critic, even when delving into an artist I don't like. This release turns out only a few songs that I found to be remotely salvageable. The title track is one of the only listenable songs on the whole album, as it's the only upbeat song that feels like it has real energy in it. Perry's voice is infused with a bit more passion, and even the lyrics are ok as she discusses how we're all looking for something to make us feel whole in this life. "Save As Draft" feels like it has some weight as a break-up ballad. This might be one of Perry's better songs in recent memory, as her voice doesn't have this flat lining sameness that permeates almost any other song she does. This is easily the best track on the album. "Pendulum" has a sort of fun quality to it.
Only three tracks on a fifteen-song album have any redeemable qualities. That is not a good sign. At almost an hour long, this album drags on and on, with one uninteresting song after another. Some of the worst this album has to offer are in the singles. I've only found the message that Perry is giving in "Chained to the Rhythm" more ridiculous over time. The song is basically saying how all of us are slaves to whatever the system feeds us, and we don't even realize it. She says "Dance to the distortion/Turn it up, keep it on repeat/Stumbling around like a wasted zombie". I can't believe that Perry doesn't see the hypocrisy in her own lyrics. She has been one of the hugest music stars for a long time, and NO ONE could escape singles like "Firework" or "Rise". It's odd for her to say that all of us live in a bubble when she herself is wrapped in a bubble of rich privilege. "Swish Swish" is a petty response to Taylor Swift's equally petty track "Bad Blood". These two artists are apparently in a feud, and both of them care enough to make a song about it and capitalize on it. This song is bottom of the barrel awful. The line "Swish, swish, bish" is one of the most cringe worthy lines I've ever heard in any song. Nicki Minaj's feature only serves to make this track more unbearable, and the innane beat in the background make this far and away the worst song on the album. "Bon Appetit" is no easy listen either, with Katy Perry sexualizing her body, comparing it to food. This seems a little odd as other songs are concerned with empowerment, yet in this song Katy Perry is literally calling herself a buffet. I'm not quite sure what's empowering about that. It just feels like this is another song that is meant to have success on pop charts just because of its subject matter. The production on this track is once again awful, with the chorus becoming quickly annoying. Migos prove once again that they are overhyped at the moment; I'm making sure I won't actively listen to another track with them in it. Even on the video of this song there are quite a few dislikes; I'm glad even a lot of Perry's fans dislike this one.
There's really not much to be said about the rest of the tracks here. Most of them leave no impact whatsoever. "Hey Hey Hey" is just about as typical of a pump up anthem as you can get. I suppose there's something inspirational to Perry building herself up, but she just sounds so bored and far from genuine while doing it. "Roulette" is just about a one-night stand, one of the most basic subjects in the pop industry. Nothing new is being said here. Like in many other pop songs with this subject, Perry romanticizes a one-night stand as being "dangerous". Nothing about this song pops out; it instead comes out as a cliched mess. "Mind Maze" tries to be this lyrically artsy song but it comes across as meaningless with contradicting imagery just haphazardly thrown together ("In a mind maze, All these hurricanes/Caught in a cage, a complex cage"). The excessive auto-tune really makes this song a pain to try and get through; in fact I couldn't ever listen to this track in completion without getting utterly disgusted at just how much Katy and her production team weren't trying. And really, what else is there to be said about the rest of the songs on this album? It was not easy to listen to an hour's worth of content where a lot of the content was just boring. Most of the songs were felt like they had the same trap beat. Katy's voice hardly ever went to any interesting places, instead feeling monotone throughout most of the album. Her vocals don't impress here at all. This album is like listening to "Rise" (my least favorite song of Perry's) repeatedly.
This album is a shining example of why it blows my mind that Perry rose to fame. But at the same time, it sadly makes sense. She checks off all the boxes for what makes your most basic pop song in the 2000's: an unoriginal beat, bland vocals with obnoxious overproduction, and lyrics that ultimately leave no impact. It seems like most of the singles on this album are not doing very well, and that is a good thing, maybe a sign that people are finally tired of Perry. At the end of the day, we will always see another generic artist like her, so the fact that she is losing popularity somewhat is only a mild catharsis for this awful release. Avoid "Witness" (with the exception of the rather good "Save As Draft") at all costs.
Favorite Songs: "Save As Draft", "Witness", "Pendulum"
Least Favorite Songs: "Swish Swish", "Chained to the Rhythm", "Bon Appetit", "Mind Maze", "Roulette", "Hey Hey Hey", "Into Me You See"
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