Pop singer and songwriter Nessa Barrett built a fan base of millions on social media, recorded with
Travis Barker and
Jxdn ("La Di Die"), and cracked the Hot 100 ("I Hope Ur Miserable Until Ur Dead") before delivering her full-length debut,
young forever, in late 2022. Its spooky, slick, synth-bass-heavy sound was designed with producer Evan Blair, who had previously worked with irreverent pop act
Lilyisthatyou and like-minded social media star
Bella Poarch, among others. It opens with the grumbling "tired of California," which sets the tone (and 'tude) with lyrics like "I get sick of sunshine on my perfect skin/Vapid conversations giving me the spins/Driving down Mulholland/Closing both my eyes/Cuz they say you get more famous when you die." The loathing and self-loathing continue on songs like the crunchier "talk to myself," which challenges anyone to say anything worse than what she says to herself, and the insecure "gaslight," which questions everything about a relationship, including if she's right to question ("I'm not crazy if I'm right'). While Barrett's wispy, pouty delivery on much of the album is loaded with a performativeness that leaves sincerity open to question, she sounds genuine on the acoustic "lovebomb" and more fully produced tracks like the loss-inspired "die first." In fact, a trick of the album is that while straddling brattiness and vulnerability -- often within the same song -- she manages to successfully explore topics like bullying, objectification, loss, and fragile mental health. ~ Marcy Donelson