Avoiding the sophomore slump, Troye Sivan flourishes on “Bloom,” his follow-up to 2015’s “Blue Neighbourhood.”
Check out these five standouts from the 23-year-old singer-songwriter’s new album.
“Seventeen”
“Boy becomes a man now,” Sivan croons on the coming-of-age “Bloom” opener. With a sumptuous soundscape that has a haunting melancholy streak, this widescreen ballad — about an underage Sivan having a sexual awakening with an older man — packs a cinematic quality that makes this its own mini-drama.
“My My My!”
Although the jubilant first single from “Bloom” came out way back in January, it still sounds as fresh and open-hearted as it did back then, capturing the pure joy of a love that makes you go “Oh my my my!”
“What a Heavenly Way to Die”
The moody dreaminess of this electro-infused ballad gets you lost in a romantic reverie, as Sivan imagines growing old with his partner: “When our prime has come and gone/And our youth is all but melted, melted.”
“The Good Side”
On this lilting beauty — one of two “Bloom” tracks featuring Grammy-winning producer Ariel Rechtshaid (Vampire Weekend) behind the boards — Sivan channels the folkie side of Beck.
“Dance to This”
Sivan shimmies with Ariana Grande over a pulsating groove that is more for chilling than clubbing. With its low-key charm and cool, this single demonstrates that not every dance track has to be a banger.
