LET'S BE FRIENDS review - The wonders of irony
(Reviewed by Melody Werner)
Let's Be Friends is a 2020 pop song by Carly Rae Jepsen (of Call Me, Maybe fame (arguably infamy)). Back in middle school to high school, I never really listened to much music besides rock and metal--after high school, I dipped out of vocal music entirely and migrated over to the synth genre and video game music because I found those easier to write to when listening. Starting last year though, I got back into vocal music thanks to watching theneedledrop and he got me interested in a lot of musicians I hadn't heard of before but sounded interesting. Now, Carly Rae Jepsen is obviously someone I've heard of before (yes, I was alive back in the heady days of 2012). But what I didn't know (and what you may not know either) is since Call Me, Maybe, Carly has made a pretty massive shift in the style of pop she works on. See, she is more inspired by artists such as Paula Abdul than she is her contemporaries like Katy Perry or Taylor Swift, and incorporates more synthpop elements into her instrumentals. Contrary to the snobby "all pop is mindless and soulless" tripe you'll get from the exact sorts of people who the "I'm 14 and this is deep" meme is mocking, (*cough, cough*) Carly is a mainstream pop singer who attempts some daring stylistic changes and doesn't cynically chase trends a la Taylor Swift--and her movement towards a more retro sound has caused those contemporaries to try (and fail) to bite on her style. It's a new year, and CJR has just released a new single that music journalism sites have been dubbing an anti-Valentine's anthem. So what does your favorite CJR admirer think of Let's Be Friends? I love the hell outta it.
LBF is a less synth-oriented track instrumentally--and, while I am a huge synth buff so that's perhaps a little bit of a disappointment, I think it actually works out nicely for this track. It's got a more acoustic backing with some vocal tweaks, which is a nice change of pace for anyone who has been spinning E•MO•TION and Dedicated to an extent which certified cowards might label "embarrassing." The little chipmunk voices implemented here do reek of some tracks off of Dedicated, but I found them to be less annoying than those from her 2019 album could get on repeat listens. But otherwise, this is something of a breath of fresh air for Carly fans, even if I'd be more than giddy to see her return to that overtly synthpop well for her next album. What's more, the instrumental on this cut is characteristically cute, cheeky, and fun for one of her tracks, so it still feels like a Carly track. I don't anticipate this single will be all too divisive among my fellow Carly connoisseurs (people do appear to be enjoying it thus far).
Something that I always bring up when I'm talking about Carly's music is how infectious and adorable her voice is. That'd be because it's always true--and LBF is no different in this department. If you're someone who adores hearing this woman coo over quirky instrumentals, this song has your name written all over it in B-O-L-D letters. I for one adore hearing this woman coo over quirky instrumentals, and I can't stop listening to it (well, when I'm not listening to Zeal & Ardor, THE FEVER 333, Mastodon, and other manly man kinds of tunes--or Moron Police and the new coupla' Megan Thee Stallion cuts). Much like the best Carly tracks (Too Much, All That, Cry, Happy Not Knowing, Your Type, etc., etc., etc.), it's a song that's unbelievably easy on the ears and addictive. Part of that is her unimpeachably gorgeous voice, part of that would be the surprisingly sassy lyrics and personality they're delivered with. Carly is nothing if not a talented vocalist though, so I guess her apparent ease in selling this upstart attitude shouldn't be too surprising for someone who's drowned themselves in Julien, Real Love, E•MO•TION, First Time, Let's Get Lost, LA Hallucinations--goddammit, I've gotten back into dumping a thousand CJR tracks. There are so many fantastic ones! But I digress, because Let's Be Friends deserves some love all of its own. While Carly doesn't dive into the same harrowing types of subject matter as an Ariana Grande might (and yes, Ariana is a pop songstress who deserves heaps of respect, and not for the obvious reason) like belting out deceptively thoughtful lyrics about engaging in materialism to divert your attention from the kind of trauma that comes with the Manchester bombing and having one of your very public boyfriends die--Carly does something that is still artistically respectable and outside of the box, what with making fun pop tunes that aren't mind-numbing in their repetition and nonexistent personality. It's an entirely separate musical beast, so I believe you ought to judge them differently. And for what LBF is trying to be, it does incredibly well.
That someone as talented as Carly is managed by the same hack who manages Lil Dicky still makes zero sense to me. I know contracts and such can be pretty complex, but still, she's on an entirely different level sonically than that so-called "comedy" rapper. This is such a delightful lil diddy. Let's Be Friends gets a 5/5.
Fantastic
Summary:
Carly Rae Jepsen goes in a new sonic direction aesthetically while retaining all of the charm and sauciness that's made her one of the pop artists to watch this decade.
Let's Be Friends is a 2020 pop song by Carly Rae Jepsen (of Call Me, Maybe fame (arguably infamy)). Back in middle school to high school, I never really listened to much music besides rock and metal--after high school, I dipped out of vocal music entirely and migrated over to the synth genre and video game music because I found those easier to write to when listening. Starting last year though, I got back into vocal music thanks to watching theneedledrop and he got me interested in a lot of musicians I hadn't heard of before but sounded interesting. Now, Carly Rae Jepsen is obviously someone I've heard of before (yes, I was alive back in the heady days of 2012). But what I didn't know (and what you may not know either) is since Call Me, Maybe, Carly has made a pretty massive shift in the style of pop she works on. See, she is more inspired by artists such as Paula Abdul than she is her contemporaries like Katy Perry or Taylor Swift, and incorporates more synthpop elements into her instrumentals. Contrary to the snobby "all pop is mindless and soulless" tripe you'll get from the exact sorts of people who the "I'm 14 and this is deep" meme is mocking, (*cough, cough*) Carly is a mainstream pop singer who attempts some daring stylistic changes and doesn't cynically chase trends a la Taylor Swift--and her movement towards a more retro sound has caused those contemporaries to try (and fail) to bite on her style. It's a new year, and CJR has just released a new single that music journalism sites have been dubbing an anti-Valentine's anthem. So what does your favorite CJR admirer think of Let's Be Friends? I love the hell outta it.
LBF is a less synth-oriented track instrumentally--and, while I am a huge synth buff so that's perhaps a little bit of a disappointment, I think it actually works out nicely for this track. It's got a more acoustic backing with some vocal tweaks, which is a nice change of pace for anyone who has been spinning E•MO•TION and Dedicated to an extent which certified cowards might label "embarrassing." The little chipmunk voices implemented here do reek of some tracks off of Dedicated, but I found them to be less annoying than those from her 2019 album could get on repeat listens. But otherwise, this is something of a breath of fresh air for Carly fans, even if I'd be more than giddy to see her return to that overtly synthpop well for her next album. What's more, the instrumental on this cut is characteristically cute, cheeky, and fun for one of her tracks, so it still feels like a Carly track. I don't anticipate this single will be all too divisive among my fellow Carly connoisseurs (people do appear to be enjoying it thus far).
Something that I always bring up when I'm talking about Carly's music is how infectious and adorable her voice is. That'd be because it's always true--and LBF is no different in this department. If you're someone who adores hearing this woman coo over quirky instrumentals, this song has your name written all over it in B-O-L-D letters. I for one adore hearing this woman coo over quirky instrumentals, and I can't stop listening to it (well, when I'm not listening to Zeal & Ardor, THE FEVER 333, Mastodon, and other manly man kinds of tunes--or Moron Police and the new coupla' Megan Thee Stallion cuts). Much like the best Carly tracks (Too Much, All That, Cry, Happy Not Knowing, Your Type, etc., etc., etc.), it's a song that's unbelievably easy on the ears and addictive. Part of that is her unimpeachably gorgeous voice, part of that would be the surprisingly sassy lyrics and personality they're delivered with. Carly is nothing if not a talented vocalist though, so I guess her apparent ease in selling this upstart attitude shouldn't be too surprising for someone who's drowned themselves in Julien, Real Love, E•MO•TION, First Time, Let's Get Lost, LA Hallucinations--goddammit, I've gotten back into dumping a thousand CJR tracks. There are so many fantastic ones! But I digress, because Let's Be Friends deserves some love all of its own. While Carly doesn't dive into the same harrowing types of subject matter as an Ariana Grande might (and yes, Ariana is a pop songstress who deserves heaps of respect, and not for the obvious reason) like belting out deceptively thoughtful lyrics about engaging in materialism to divert your attention from the kind of trauma that comes with the Manchester bombing and having one of your very public boyfriends die--Carly does something that is still artistically respectable and outside of the box, what with making fun pop tunes that aren't mind-numbing in their repetition and nonexistent personality. It's an entirely separate musical beast, so I believe you ought to judge them differently. And for what LBF is trying to be, it does incredibly well.
That someone as talented as Carly is managed by the same hack who manages Lil Dicky still makes zero sense to me. I know contracts and such can be pretty complex, but still, she's on an entirely different level sonically than that so-called "comedy" rapper. This is such a delightful lil diddy. Let's Be Friends gets a 5/5.
Fantastic
Summary:
Carly Rae Jepsen goes in a new sonic direction aesthetically while retaining all of the charm and sauciness that's made her one of the pop artists to watch this decade.
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