"Something To Give Each Other" Is Pop Music On A Whole New Level

By Rebecca Pedersen

Troye Sivan dropped his flaming hot, heartbreaking, bass-infused, KILLER of an album “Something To Give Each Other” at midnight. The wait is over, and the verdict is in.

Troye has buddied up with two iconic producers on this record, Oscar Görres and Ian Kirkpatrick. Oscar, also known as OzGo, is part of the writing and production group Wolf Cousins founded by the Swedish music mogul, Max Martin. OzGo has credits from working with artists like Taylor Swift and Britney Spears, but something between him and Sivan must have clicked, because he seems to be behind most of his hits, e.g. “I’m So Tired” ft. Lauv and “My My My!”

Kirkpatrick produced Sivan’s second lead single “Get Me Started” that dropped right after his lead “Rush” that already has 133 million streams on Spotify alone. Kirkpatrick has hundreds of credits all over, but some of his biggest productions are inarguably “Don’t Start Now” and “New Rules” by Dua Lipa.

But now for the boy of the hour, Troye Sivan. In a recent interview with Jimmy Fallon, he said that this album is ultimately the best work he has ever done. And after my first listen, I must fully agree.

We gracefully skip the lead single “Rush” and go straight to the second track on the album “What’s The Time Where You Are”. From the get to, it’s fair to say that the strong bassline and elegant piano create a beautiful symbiosis. The electronic feel plays so well together with the simplicity of the piano. Sivan has never sounded better, and don’t get me started on the angelic choir in the chorus (no pun intended). Extremely catchy and fresh-sounding. Important to mention is the ending, where Sivan’s vocal is stripped from all effects and shows vulnerability by standing alone. We get real close and personal, and it sounds like we are right there in the room with him.

Jumping over to the third track on the album “One of Your Girls”, we need to once again praise the bassline. As great of a bassline as it is, that is not what brings this track to its heavenly status in my ears. The chosen vocoder effect in the chorus gives real Imogen Heap “Hide and Seek” vibes and makes one feel rather melancholic. At times, when Sivan half-sings and half-speaks on top of the production, it reminds me of Miley Cyrus in her song “River”, which I think works so well in a pop song like this.

"In My Room” is the fourth track on the album, and also the only collaboration we get. Starting off in Spanish by singer/songwriter Alvaro Lafuente Calvo and slowly diverting into English when Sivan joins in. Not sure whether Sivan is actually singing along on some of the Spanish bits, but after listening a few times, it seems to be two different Spanish vocals at some points. The reason why this collab works so well, is the simplicity of the production that leaves room for both artists to bring their own to the table. They are not fighting over who gets more time in the spotlight, but seem to balance each other out perfectly.

As the fifth track we have “Still Got It” which is a personal favorite of mine. With similarities to one of my other personal favorites “Only One” by Kanye West ft. Paul McCartney, it begins with the heavenly sound of an organ that makes it feel as if we are in a church. More heavenly sounds follow in the chorus, where Sivan’s already angelic voice gets accompanied by him harmonizing with himself. When I first listened to this song it reminded me of the Blue Neighbourhood era of Troye Sivan. Less focus on the production and more on the meaning behind the words. This doesn’t continue through the whole song though, as a hypnotizing synth followed by a musical break suddenly takes us by surprise. I can’t quite describe the synth, but I wish it would appear more in the song. After the break, the production becomes more messy and electronic and kind of represents his mental state during this hard time.

Time for the sixth track “Can’t Go Back, Baby” which starts with an interesting sample that returns in the chorus. Once again, this gives me Blue Neighborhood vibes and I really like the fact that he experiments with different sounds, even though some would say an album needs to be more coherent in its sound. With this I disagree. Returning back to the sample that almost sounds a bit childish and has minor imperfections when talking about pitch, it helps bring vulnerability points. If you listen closely at the end you may hear the sound of a voice put in rewind. This can be connected to the title “Can’t Go Back, Baby” that refers to a time in the past they cannot revisit.

Skipping “Got Me Started” and moving on to the eighth song on the album “Silly". This song is pretty much described perfectly by its title. It’s major house vibes and there has not been any savings on voice effects whatsoever. It’s a fun song, and the bassline is probably my favorite part of it all. I would say this song is 80% about production and 20% about vocals, and I’m not mad about it. Sometimes the production deserves to shine too. Though, it is important to mention the pre chorus in the second half being absolutely amazing vocal-wise. Parts of his real voice shows as some of the effects are removed. This makes it feel more personal and intimate. That is a structure that is destined to succeed, if you ask me.

Onto the next “Honey” being the ninth song on the album. Pads are a big part of this track and make the song feel “full”. In the pre chorus it takes a turn that I did not expect, and once again right before the chorus where an acoustic guitar appears. This is an interesting choice of instrument as it does not reappear at any other part of the song, and is a contrast to the electronic production. To me, this sounds like the track at the end of a movie, where everything is nostalgic and beautiful and full of emotions. It really capsules what Troye does best. He can really sing.

Last, but not least “How To Stay With You”, which is the final song on the album. It’s a song with beautiful piano synths, and a 80’s inspired chorus. Whether it’s thanks to the bassline or synth arrangements, I’m not sure. At first listen, it sounds like seagulls in the background, but after a few times, it starts to sound like someone is yelling underwater and you can’t really make out what they are trying to say. Also, if you listen closely, a siren-like sound is consistent in the background from start till finish. Suddenly it breaks out into a beautiful saxophone, which fits into the 80’s universe so perfectly.

“Something To Give Each Other” is a beautiful album with many beautiful surprises throughout. Troye Sivan really seems to have found his voice and I have no doubt that this album will open many doors for him. A small part of me is sad to lose an artist to the mainstream listener, but mostly it brings me joy to see a such underrated artist finally get the recognition he deserves.

“Something To Give Each Other” is storytelling in its finest form.