OIL OF EVERY PEARL'S UN-INSIDES review - Guaranteed to make you gay

(Reviewed by Melody Werner)
Oil of Every Pearl's Un-Insides is a 2018 avant pop album by SOPHIE (Sophie Long). It was released by Future Classic, Transgressive, and SOPHIE's label, MSMSMSM. Considered by many to be the definitive and most unique pop album of 2018 creatively, it was met with the critical and commercial acclaim that comes with that (although it wasn't THE biggest seller of the year). It also got memed in a thousand different ways thanks to its oddity and flashy, artistically bold music videos. Though I heard of the album via theneedledrop (like every album I review that isn't synth lol), I had heard an excerpt of "Faceshopping" earlier through ContraPoints (wHo KnEw I lIkEd CoNtRa???). What? I don't really keep up on memes that aren't leftist, and I just got back to new music listening about a month ago. Forgive me for not getting this gem its due respect and admiration sooner.



Between its striking cover art and singular title, you're either going to be a loser and say, "That's too weird." or you're gonna be a badass and recognize that it's excellent. If you're in the former category of beta cucks, you're almost coitainly not going to enjoy the music itself particularly much either. Because this is as viscerally bizarre as it gets. Once you get through some fairly bubbly synthpop tunes, a gush of noisy, cacophonous instrumentals hit you relentlessly. And it only gets more and more strange throughout. Special kudos on some of these synths, which are utterly inspired and mesmerizing. It's the kind of album best listened to by itself I think (not as background noise for something else); though there are some bangers on this, the most obvious being "Ponyboy," which can easily hold their own as badass tracks (if you're into that kinda mood). It's such an infectiously joyful album though. A phenomenal pick-me-up.

If it wasn't already obvious enough (*cough, cough* the album name is supposed to be said like "I Love Every Person's Insides"), this is an anthemic album with themes of acceptance at its core. I came in a member of the LGBT+ community (as I'm aro), and still came out gayer with SOPHIE's incredible lyrics and ethereal tunes hitting me right in the gut. This is more than just a token drop of "Shade never made anyone less gay"--it comes from an authentic place. Though the instrumentals can be overwhelming and pounding at times, the songs all feel distinctly uplifting. I think a lot of that comes down to the gorgeous, jubilant vocals by SOPHIE and Cecile Believe, which are so varied and stunning in a way that few other albums can reach for. I would say that, even with the instrumentals being top-notch, the vocals are maybe the brightest spot in the whole album. Clocking in at a little under 40 minutes, it's an all killer, no filler album that left me wanting more but also glad that it never let up once.

I know I tend to rate albums very highly, but that's because I usually review ones that really blew me away. Case in point, Oil of Every Pearl's Un-Insides is a one of a kind album that's bound for greatness and absolutely pushes all of my buttons. It only gets better upon repeat listens, too--and I was already expecting this to be a 10 as I started it up and heard the first few seconds. Well... I was correct. Oil of Every Pearl's Un-Insides gets a 10/10.

Masterpiece

Summary:
With an upbeat sound and style that is rightly all her own, SOPHIE and Cecile Believe (along with everyone else who helped out on production and such) crush with exceptional vocals, instrumentals, and lyrics--OoEOUI boasts a wide range of tracks, despite there only being a few of them, that never falter. You're gonna be seeing reviews of new SOPHIE tat whenever that tat comes out.

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