Review Summary: An album often known for its more popular songs has hidden gems in it that you might not have known and I'm here to explain them.
Khalid's Sensational American Teen came out in 2017 when Khalid was freshly out of high school. He released multiple singles off the song with some of the most notable songs being “Location” and ‘Young Dumb & Broke”. The songs garnered a lot of attention from not just adults and teens but also from kids, being as Young Dumb and Broke is a song made for everyone and has a very catchy hook and a very catchy chorus.
Khalid had a lot of relatable songs on the album for teens not only in the nation but across the globe because Khalid was an American Teen fresh out of high school. This album took 8 months to reach platinum, a debut album, made by a high school graduate who reached what other artists wish they could even taste… something about the album just had to be… phenomenal right? Absolutely, Songs like “Therapy” “Coaster” and “Another Sad Love Song” were all songs that could be related to by the average American teen because as of 2023, according to “Newport Academy’ 16% of high school students have experienced a depressive episode and as much as 1 out of 3 high school students experience a constant feeling of sadness and or hopelessness. People look for outlets or distractions from whatever might be going on in their lives. “8Teen” is a perfect example of a relatable song because the song talks about losing relationships, living with his parents, and not really knowing what to do because of the despair he might currently be in. ‘Cold Blooded” talks about a relationship he went through that he felt was toxic and his partner was cold-blooded in the relationship neglecting the things he gives focusing on the things they wanted instead.
Some of the best things that people might not enjoy about the album are how he is able to use a similar style for all of his songs on the album while being able to mix in different styles like on “Let’s Go”. The feeling of the song is more upbeat at the beginning and it makes you feel like getting up a bit and moving to the words. Songs like “Young Dumb & Broke” are more sing-songy and have you wanting to sing along and get into it as I like to say. The songs on this album I feel make this album absolutely top tier and I feel like it deserves higher praise than it normally gets.
There is a bunch of songs that people will enjoy, if you’re a teen looking for something a little more relatable, “8TEEN” “Winter” or “Therapy” could be songs you might wanna listen to, they’re a little depressing but still really good. “Location” and “Young Dumb & Broke” are wonderful full songs to sing along to, and ‘Coaster” and “Saved” are for when you’re feeling down in the dumps and just wanna listen to something.
OVERALL I give this album a 10 out of 10, there’s absolutely a song for everybody on this album and there’s a song that you will most definitely connect to in some way.
