Troye Sivan has always made good music: from the dreamy and nostalgic Blue Neighborhood to the critically-acclaimed Bloom, fans have always been able to count on delivery from Troye. But the In a Dream EP is on a level of its own: it's experimental, it's daring, it's heartbreaking and nostalgic and makes you dance and cry all at once. Here's six reasons why In a Dream may be Troye's best project, and may be one of the best projects released this year.
1. Take Yourself Home
The lead single, Take Yourself Home is the daring, dazzling, and dreamy soft-pop song that sets a tone for the album. The title is insanely relatable considering everything that's going on and the lyrics are captivating and easy to sing-along to. ("I'm tired of the city, scream if you're with me. If I'm gonna die, let's die somewhere pretty").
2. Easy
Normally, it's hard to combine heartbreaking lyrics and fun dance-pop beats together but Troye makes it look, well...easy. The lyrics tell of a failing relationship ("He made it easy, please don't leave me") and, even though it appears Troye is the cause of said drift, he still manages to make you feel sad on his behalf.
3. Could Cry Just Thinking About You
If the song was any longer, it would be emotionally unbearable, but luckily Troye knew better and only made it 52 seconds of dark sadness. His voice plays faded, as if from an old radio, over a cool acoustic. The lyrics show's a heartbroken him trying to move on ("I don't know who I am, with or without you. But I guess I'm about to find out"). It's raw and authentic and feels truly like him releasing his deepest regrets and fears into song.
4. Rager Teenager!
Troye's most popular album, Blue Neighborhood, focuses on themes of teenage nostalgia and here Troye returns back to that. The song is about getting too comfortable in life and missing the careless self you once were ("Feelin' alive, a teenager, ooh
Feels kinda cool in the rager and I never thought I'd see the day in my life, yet here you are"). The song is played over a chill pop beat and it breaks out into an outro that is a totally serotonin release.
5. STUD
Troye Sivan touches on a more sensitive topic of body image, specifically in the LGBT community. ("Just let me believe that you like what you're seeing when you're looking at me"). The song starts off drawly and deep but it soon breaks into a hype dance-club beat that will immediately get you dancing. My favorite part, the end where Troye's voice becomes something straight out of an EDM record. We stan!
6. In a Dream
This song is good enough to almost be all six of the reasons why this project is amazing. Sonically, the song is poppy, fun, and dancey, with a dynamic chorus that you'll be jumping around your room, screaming at the top of your lungs to soon enough (at least that's what I did). Lyrically, however, the song is sad yet memorable, as it dotes on how hard it is to move on from someone you love after a breakup...especially if they still show up in your dreams. ("Put my shoes on and run away, but you still show up in a dream. Only making this harder, 'cause I still have to see your, see your face, yeah.") Yeah. A tearjerker and also pop perfection. 199349/10.
So yeah, this EP is my new obsession at LEAST for the rest of the year. And clearly, I'm not alone. The EP is top ten on itunes in 26 countries including the U.S. (#6). If you haven't listened, you should go give it a stream. You won't regret it!
