The Loneliest Time

Not long after her last album, 2019's Dedicated, was released, Carly Rae Jepsen revealed a change of heart. It was originally going to be a very different collection of songs: "I had an album I named Disco Sweat that will probably never be released, and shouldn't. I started off with a very strong intention to make an understated disco, living room dance party thing," she said in an interview, jokingly (?) adding it "will be buried in my backyard." We may never know if she dug up the evidence, but the singer's fifth studio album has plenty of disco influence. "Shooting Star" is sassy stuff, with Daft Punk-style synth, space-laser zoomies and Jepsen trying on an animatronic baby-doll voice: "I might sleep with you tonight … I still believe in my New York City … we could turn it on." "So Nice" goes for loose and easy chill-disco beats. Cool "Joshua Tree" applies big, bouncy bass as Jepsen purrs, "I need it … I feel it … I see it … I know it … I own it … I show it." "Talking to Yourself"—which Jepsen has called "not not a revenge song," about leaving someone wanting more after it's too late—has fun whiplash glitches and an icy bridge. And "The Loneliest Time" is a disco-goddess duet with Rufus Wainwright—a delicious pairing glorified with a five-piece string section. (It also begs the question: Why doesn't Wainwright make a whole album like this?) "Beach House," meanwhile, is a Eurobeat lark: playful, winky and pure camp; Jepsen plays it cool, like Dua Lipa with more personality. The song was inspired by the perils of dating and features dudes delivering creepy lines to a slinky beat—"I've got a beach house in Malibu/ And I'm probably gonna hurt your feelings … I've got a weekend in paradise/ And I'm probably gonna never call you … I've got a lake house in Canada/ And I'm probably gonna harvest your organs." There are surprises, too, like the sultry island breeze of "Sideways" and "Far Away," a jittery ballad with a Terence Trent D'Arby feel. Breezy "Western Wind" was produced by Rostam Batmanglij and you can hear him all over it, bringing world-beat conga to Jepsen's California dream. The former Vampire Weekend multi-instrumentalist also produced "Go Find Yourself or Whatever," an '80s-centric ballad with folky guitars and a Broadway heroine delivery from Jepsen. © Shelly Ridenour/Qobuz