| | Full Review | Ratings (363) |
Give your Rating |
| 2.0 poor | RhaegarHarp | April 25th 20 |
The lyrics are so embarrassingly lazy it's hard to go through the whole album. Yes important topics were discussed but that is not an excuse for the basic storytelling. Would listen again if she releases the instrumental
3 Bumps | Bump |
| 4.5 superb | Monheim | May 17th 20 |
easy pop aoty so far
2 Bumps | Bump |
| 4.5 superb | ajcollins15 | April 21st 20 |
I will say outright I wasn?t of fan of her debut EP, and I still am not. Everything about it seems like a random conglomeration of indies that never stuck the landing. However, the ideas where there and I was very excited to see what she did with them. Well, here we are, and holy shit did she nearly nail it. Not many artists can be influenced by every late 90s and early 2000s popular genre and fuse them to near perfection. Many tracks come together with these heavy alternative metal guitar riffs that you would have heard all over alternative radio stations in the 2000s. While other tracks sound like if Brittney Spears was back in her prime. And then there are the tracks that put them together and sounds like what Poppy is also slightly doing today. This album is the completed ideas that I desperately wanted from the middle part of Charlie XCX?s record and even more.
2 Bumps | Bump |
| 2.0 poor | AnimalsAsSummit | April 18th 20 |
Like Utada Hikaru at points but just not even close to as good
2 Bumps | Bump |
| 1.5 very poor | fog CONTRIBUTOR | December 24th 20 |
The base is generic, slightly dated pop album.
Then every calculated "kooky" decision to set
this apart from other pop albums is just a
horrible misstep. Like awful guitar tones and
laughable vocal effects. Track 4 is pretty
cool though, I wish it leaned more into that
sound.
1 Bumps | Bump |
| 4.5 superb | Gene Gol-Jonsson CONTRIBUTOR | July 5th 20 |
One of the wildest and catchiest pop albums this year. It is sheer audacity and glamour and I love it to bits.
1 Bumps | Bump |
| 4.5 superb | Skittler | April 24th 20 |
One of the best Pop albums of 2020. Rina's debut album incorporates rock/metal while sprinkling an early 2000s Pop flavor to it. No matter if she's singing an upbeat song or a slower ballad it flows so effortlessly. If you have the chance I would be sure to go on Rina's Spotify and check her playlist out that inspired some of the songs, they are great and very nostalgic. A mix of Deftones, N.E.R.D, Evanescence, t.A.T.u to Britney Spears, and Gwen Stefani. This isn't simply an imitation though the album has a mix of flavors that makes it her own.
1 Bumps | Bump |
| 4.5 superb | Malcontent | April 23rd 20 |
A casual listener might listen to STFU! and walk away with the impression that this record is similar to Poppy?s ?I Disagree?: a blend of aggressive noise coupled with a disarmingly cute delivery - pop for people as equally likely to listen to Decapitated as Carly Rae. However, SAWAYAMA is more complex - like 2017?s RINA, this is a transmutation of 90?s and 00?s pop, R&B, arena rock, alt rock, synth, and more. It?s not just a rework - in some cases this feels like a resurrection: mining sounds easily discarded and judged as firmly belonging in the past, like Evanescence, Sum 41, a Final Fantasy theme(!?), and placing them alongside sleek, modern productions like Comme des Garçons. The reason the result feels like an album instead of a playlist is due to the emotional thread binding everything together. From Dynasty?s ?the pain in my vein is hereditary? to Akasaka Sad?s ?so I suffer.. Just like my mother? to the gorgeous track Chosen Family, these themes of family, identity, and past experience make it more than a well-produced record, this is an outstanding record, period. Reimagined sounds of yesterday play alongside these themes, creating an instantly nostalgic, achingly cool record, precisely because Rina Sawayama is so willing to do the uncool thing: to wear her heart on her sleeve, bypass the majority of pop trends from the last few years, and craft the album she wants.
1 Bumps | Bump |
| 2.5 average | Moneylishi | December 15th 22 |
I really wanted to like this album, especially considering that I think Rina does a good job blending the hardrock/metal elements with 2000s era pop music. It's just unfortunate that those elements tend to be from my least favorite subgenres of hardrock/metal.
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| 3.0 good | Tjatkinson1998 | September 22nd 22 |
A very solid debut album. Rina?s mix of Pop and Rock influences shines through and brings her own personality to the record. This is very much a Pop record, but the catchyness and variety here keeps your interested throughout. This is definitely a creative album and while not every idea works, most work well. The lyricism isn?t that intriguing, but it?s good enough to keep you going. Overall, solid stuff and some real standout tracks, just needed a bit more consistency and depth to elevate my enjoyment. Score: 7/10
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| 4.5 superb | PrincyAli | July 17th 21 |
Sawayama proves that she can incorporate so many genres in 45 minutes and still nail it. 4.6/5 Favs: Dynasty, XS, STFU!, Comme Des Gar?ons (Like The Boys), Akasaka Sad, Paradisin', Love Me 4 Me, Bad Friend, Fuck This World (Interlude), Who's Gonna Save U Now?, Tokyo Love Hotel, Chosen Family
Bump |
| 4.5 superb | charlopiano | June 4th 21 |
It's still too early to tell, but I want to apologize to The Strokes, you might lose the crown of my favorite album of 2020.
Bump |
| 3.0 good | zaruyache | January 8th 21 |
90s girl group and pop rock-worshiping dance-pop album that doesn't want to fully commit to replicating any one style or theme for a more cohesive package
Bump |
| 4.5 superb | cjbizzlebizzle | December 31st 20 |
An absolute mammoth of a pop debut album with a massive range of influences that bridge pop from many different eras and come together to result in the best pop album of 2020. Whether it is Janet Jackson like grooves, alt metal guitar riffs or beats that sound out of Britney's prime Rina draws from the past while putting her own personal touch on everything and still sounding original and fresh. Never even approaches being emulation or derivative. The vocals are powerful and confident, there are plenty of catchy hooks and the lyrics approach real life issues without ever sounding goofy or distracting from the wonderful melodies and crisp production. XS and STFU! start the meat of the album off pretty aggressively and in your face before Rina shows off her vocal abilities over the wonderful groove of Comme Des Garcons. It really is packed full of variety and whether it is the rock influenced songs or the more conventional pop songs Rina absolutely kills it making it more impressive than any other pop release this year. Choosing a best track is hard here because XS just feels like the top notch song but it is hard to resist the fun on 'Paradisin', the grooves on 'Comme Des Garcons' and 'Love Me 4 Me' and the great metal crossover in 'STFU!'. Hardly a moment wasted here.
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| 3.6 great | Erwann S. STAFF | December 17th 20 |
Hey Rina, the 2000s have called and they would like their shit back. Like, everything back, from the early noughties disco dance-pop exuberance to nu metal's industrial riffs to r&b's passion. It's as if she suffers from a personality disorder and one of them personalities suddenly burst into self-importance during a short section of a song. While this eclectism mainly works - what a banger "XS" is - it also feels at times like an unrefined collage of influences ("Chosen Family").
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| 3.5 great | SinNanna | December 3rd 20 |
Initially when this dropped I felt underwhelmed by a notably large portion of the tracklist, but when returning to it at the end of the year it was like my ears suddenly had warmed up more to the melodies, to quite a significant degree even I would say. Even though sonically these tracks aren't all completely my cup of tea from front to back, a lot of these choruses are actually pretty sweet and irresistible, and at times even really save some tracks from falling flat. I find the track Snakeskin a bit of an odd choice to end the record off with especially with the very anthemic ballad-heavy Chosen Family coming before it, and also thought the alternative metal influence could have been fleshed out further and spread out into other tracks on the record, but other than that, this is a pretty fine and fun pop record from one of the genres biggest trailblazers going at the moment.
Bump |
| 4.0 excellent | davezillaMP3 | May 23rd 20 |
Rina takes the listener on personal journey that those who were youth during the early-mid 2000s will find nostalgic on her debut album
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| 5.0 classic | Brabiz | April 25th 24 |
| 4.0 excellent | Matty CONTRIBUTOR | March 7th 24 |
| 3.5 great | wwf | June 13th 23 |
| 4.0 excellent | Mojito | April 23rd 23 |
| 3.5 great | Timmy | January 13th 23 |
| 4.0 excellent | heck | November 2nd 22 |
| 4.0 excellent | osey | October 19th 22 |
| 4.0 excellent | MvdW | September 17th 22 |
| 4.0 excellent | sr388 | June 27th 22 |
| 3.5 great | Rowdy | May 19th 22 |
| 4.0 excellent | iGuter | April 11th 22 |
| 4.0 excellent | raddlad | April 2nd 22 |
| 2.5 average | Get Low | February 28th 22 |
| 5.0 classic | mauRo13 | February 16th 22 |
| 3.5 great | huskr96 | November 14th 21 |
| 4.0 excellent | Luna | September 10th 21 |
| 3.5 great | Fabio | May 7th 21 |
| 4.0 excellent | TwigTW | January 7th 21 |
| 4.0 excellent | ARDCWE | December 30th 20 |
| 3.5 great | MTNHDRE | December 23rd 20 |
| 3.0 good | stasar | December 22nd 20 |
| 4.0 excellent | Henry | December 12th 20 |
| 4.5 superb | Yoni91 | November 24th 20 |
| 4.0 excellent | Preston | November 12th 20 |
| 4.0 excellent | jlsg | September 27th 20 |
| 4.0 excellent | Djang0 | September 11th 20 |
| 4.0 excellent | Haelaeif | September 8th 20 |
| 4.0 excellent | brvb | August 22nd 20 |
| 4.0 excellent | Zainish | August 7th 20 |
| 4.0 excellent | rsxng | August 3rd 20 |
| 4.0 excellent | luci | August 2nd 20 |
| 4.0 excellent | Subaru | July 29th 20 |
| 4.0 excellent | GCSSB | July 22nd 20 |
| 4.0 excellent | Risodo | July 15th 20 |
| 4.5 superb | Murat | July 15th 20 |
| 4.0 excellent | M8SZA | June 26th 20 |
| 3.5 great | Aszhi | June 18th 20 |
| 4.0 excellent | chris. | June 18th 20 |
| 2.5 average | JNeu | June 17th 20 |
| 2.5 average | Pon EMERITUS | May 25th 20 |
| 4.0 excellent | LOGOS | May 24th 20 |
| 4.0 excellent | Ewgads | May 5th 20 |
| 2.5 average | Corney | May 2nd 20 |
| 4.5 superb | lg433 | May 1st 20 |
| 4.0 excellent | Martvyk | April 30th 20 |
| 3.0 good | A.R.O. STAFF | April 26th 20 |
| 3.0 good | Thibs | April 25th 20 |
| 4.0 excellent | Royl123 | April 25th 20 |
| 4.0 excellent | RyanW | April 25th 20 |
| 4.5 superb | JS19 | April 23rd 20 |
| 2.0 poor | Runeii | April 22nd 20 |
| 4.5 superb | hansjj | April 22nd 20 |
| 3.0 good | tyler | April 22nd 20 |
| 4.0 excellent | scrappy | April 21st 20 |
| 2.5 average | Ryus | April 21st 20 |
| 3.5 great | Pangea | April 21st 20 |
| 3.5 great | jesper STAFF | April 21st 20 |
| 4.0 excellent | Josh | April 21st 20 |
| 2.0 poor | doofy | April 20th 20 |
| 4.0 excellent | Arctick | April 20th 20 |
| 4.0 excellent | mrend55 | April 20th 20 |
| 4.0 excellent | Laymi | April 20th 20 |
| 3.0 good | anat CONTRIBUTOR | April 19th 20 |
| 3.5 great | Lucman | April 18th 20 |
| 3.5 great | ATTA | April 18th 20 |
| 4.0 excellent | Lacking | April 18th 20 |
| 4.0 excellent | Faraudo | April 18th 20 |
| 4.0 excellent | bharry | April 17th 20 |
| 3.5 great | Bizzee | April 17th 20 |
| 4.5 superb | InVein | April 17th 20 |
| 4.5 superb | alamo | April 17th 20 |
| 4.0 excellent | jtswope | April 17th 20 |
| 4.0 excellent | hamid95 | April 17th 20 |
| 4.0 excellent | greg84 EMERITUS | April 16th 20 |
| 3.5 great | clavier EMERITUS | April 15th 20 |
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