Katy Perry is having fun again. “I was frozen, I was hopeless/ Now there’s poetry in every moment,” she sings in the mid-album reflection track, “All the Love.”
Perry’s been open about her struggles with mental health over the past few years, especially after the tepid critical and commercial reaction to her 2017 LP, Witness. “After being on a rocket ship and just going straight up, it was just a small change in the trajectory, but it felt seismic,” the pop star explained back in 2020, noting that thanks to medication and therapy, she was able to fuel her creative side once more.
She also has a lot more love in her life these days. Her husband Orlando Bloom remains her biggest fan and supporter, and the couple welcomed daughter Daisy Dove together in August 2020. That family unit inspired 2020’s Smile, which featured songs like “Daisies,” “Never Really Over” and “Harleys in Hawaii,” as well as a much smilier Perry.
After years of inner work, Perry unveiled her sixth studio album, 143, on Friday (Sept. 20). “I set out to create a bold, exuberant, celebratory dance-pop album with the symbolic 143 numerical expression of love as a throughline message,” Perry previously shared in a statement about 143, which is text message code for “I love you.”
The album is characteristically Katy Perry, something her beloved fans, the KatyKats, are sure to enjoy. The entire project is boosted with serotonin, as Perry belts about being in love with her partner, her family, herself and her life all over breezy, synth-driven beats. She’s healing and she’s not taking life too seriously, and after a wild few years, it’s great to see the pop star be herself again.
While all of 143 is worth listening to, there are some clear early standouts. Here is a ranking of all 11 tracks on Katy Perry’s latest album.
In the midst of an album boosted with fun, “All the Love” serves as a sweet, reflective moment of her journey to Orlando Bloom. It’s a classic pop song, something Perry is a pro at creating, but it pales in comparison to the rest of the vividly colorful album.
“I’ve never been clearer, I’m at peace with moving on,” Perry sings on the penultimate 143 track. While the song is about a potentially unfaithful lover, the aforementioned sentiment rings true for the whole album. Despite some hurtful bumps along Perry’s career, she’s at a place where she’s ready to move on from the negativity and be herself. While “Truth” isn’t necessarily one of the most exciting songs on 143, the message is something everyone needs to hear.
Perry loves a steamy club track, and “Nirvana” is just that. Complete with a thumping beat and repeated “ah-oohs” throughout the track, “Nirvana” feels exactly what the title suggests.
While “Woman’s World” serves as the lead single and almost a theme song to the rest of the project, it’s hard to look past the idea that a female empowerment track was produced by Dr. Luke, who was in a years-long legal battle with Kesha over an alleged sexual assault. (Luke denied the allegations and countersued for defamation; the legal battle ended in 2023 with the two parties settling the countersuit out of court.) However, without the deeper analysis, “Woman’s World” has a strong, memorable hook that will surely be a staple in Perry’s tours to come.
Perry proclaims she’s “living in a candy daydream” to open “Crush,” and that sentiment rings true for the rest of the dopamine-injected track. She’s having fun and she’s in love, which you can hear in the song’s anthemic, radio-ready chorus as well as the entire album.
There’s nothing like a powerful pop female team-up. Kim and Katy’s vocals are so complimentary to each other, and they both love to pump up female confidence — it’s a shock they haven’t collaborated before.
While the vast majority of 143 is summer-ready pop, “Artificial” provides a nice mid-album switch-up. The R&B-infused track features a rapid-fire verse from JID and a darker chorus about a dangerous, almost non-human affair. “Artificial” is the perfect yin to the rest of the album’s yang, which makes it an easy standout on the project.
“Lifetimes” is the ultimate track for a beach club in the Mediterranean, hence why she filmed the breezy music video in Ibiza. The ecstatic, romantic theme of “Lifetimes” as well was the synth-filled chorus is a recipe for a longtime summer staple, and will surely get remixes from worldwide DJs in the future to continue its own lifetime.
While 143 is fun and lighthearted throughout, Perry brings the message to a heartfelt place for the album’s closer. With “Wonder,” Perry speaks directly to her four-year-old daughter Daisy — who makes a sweet appearance singing the chorus at the end — asking her to keep the freespirited, wild heart that she currently possesses. “Can somebody promise me/ Our innocence doesn’t get lost in this cynical world?” she sings as a worried mother who perhaps lost her own “wonder” at times along the way. However, with a mom like Katy Perry, it’s safe to say Daisy Dove’s journey to adulthood will be a good one.
“Gimme Gimme” is the type of pop in which Perry thrives: the sultry beat, the tongue-in-cheek lyrics and a braggadocious verse from one of today’s most prominent rappers. It’s reminiscent of some of Perry’s best hits, including “Dark Horse” and “E.T.,” and represents everything Perry’s fan’s love about her: she’s sexy, she’s not afraid of getting a little raunchy with her lyrics, she knows how to get you on the dance floor and she sure can sing.
It’s a shame that summer has wrapped up, because the nostalgic collab, which features a heavy lift from Crystal Waters’ ’90s dance-pop hit “Gypsy Woman (She’s Homeless),” is the perfect sunshine-drenched track. From the retro beat and chanting chorus to the ethereal harmonies and Doechii’s smooth verses, “I’m His, He’s Mine” is the standout track from 143, and hopefully a fan-favorite for years to come.
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