Pop

The opening notes on Addison’s first interlude are distinctly similar to those of “Aquamarine,” the track directly before it, only the sun-kissed, effervescent energy of the latter is replaced by moody, languid synths. Rae’s repeated sentiment of “I lost myself and found myself again” echoes off the walls of the production, soon giving way to her booming, layered chanting. The interlude proves that the pop star is unafraid to get introspective — even if only for a brief moment.

“Life’s no fun through clear waters,” a siren-like voice echoes and repeats over a string section, (plucking a lyric straight from “Headphones On”). Though it arrives as the second-to-last track on the album, it serves as a reminder of the project’s entire motto: this should be fun. Isn’t that the point? Addison acts as one big reminder that the plot isn’t perfection — because how boring would that be?

It feels like a given to include a track called “Summer Forever” on an album arriving at the top of June, just weeks before the official first day of the season. Rae’s breezy vocals and the song’s minimal yet immersive production are perfect companions for sheer drapes billowing in the wind on a balcony door left open — a clear indicator of a summer day well spent. (Plus, if pitched down, this could just as easily be a song by Lana Del Rey, queen of summertime sadness.)

“Have you ever dreamt of being seen?/ Not by someone, more like in a magazine,” Rae asks to open the album’s third single, “High Fashion.” She’s seemingly intent on doing whatever it takes to pull off a look worthy enough, rejecting passing thrills — drugs and cheap love — in its pursuit. It’s not her most complicated song on the album, but who says a pop hit can’t hang its hat on thumping bass and a deep love for couture? Not Addison Rae, that’s for damn sure.

One of the more subdued, airy songs on the album (alongside “Summer Forever” and “Times Like These”), “In the Rain” offers a glimpse into the Addison behind the layers of tulle on her album cover. “Young dumb and cute nothing to lose/ And now the past is someone that I have to answer for/I got a whole new point of view,” she sings at the top of the track, before concluding: “Misunderstood but I’m not gonna sweat it.” While the writing stands out as some of Rae’s most vulnerable, the song is tucked in between similar-sounding “Summer Forever” and the higher-energy “Fame Is A Gun” — a smart move for a song about being inconspicuous.

“Times Like These” is like the angrier, somehow more honest sister to “In the Rain” — not evidenced at all by how it sounds, but solely by what Rae says. It’s almost as if crying in the rain (see: “In the Rain”) didn’t solve anything (shocking) and a few songs later Rae couldn’t help but revisit the same wounds. “Am I too young to be this mad/ Am I too old to blame my dad,” she wonders aloud. Consider this song a warning, as it’s Rae’s most tender tracks that hit hardest.

Perhaps more so than anywhere else on Addison, “Money Is Everything” calls back on what made 2023 EP AR such a cult classic among her core fan base: pure, unadulterated bubblegum-pop fun. She’s drawing comparisons to Marilyn Monroe — referring to the late icon by her birth name, of course — requesting Madonna at the DJ booth and fantasizing about a perfect night out with the pop girlies, all on top of a bouncy beat that’s as sweet as candy. And of all the quotable one-liners from Rae on the album, of which they run aplenty, her outro shriek of “Money loves me!” just may take the cake.

The hustle and bustle of New York City isn’t for everyone, but those who get it, well, they just get it. On Addison’s opener, Rae adds to the canon of love letters to the Big Apple with a track primed for the dance floor. She’s moving at a pace to make any tried-and-true New Yorker proud, hardly stopping to drop her bags off at the Bowery Hotel before heading straight to the club. It’s an apropos tone-setter for the rest of the album: Don’t get too comfortable and don’t get too complacent because much like the city itself, she’s always going to keep you on your toes.

When “Aquamarine” arrived, it felt almost obvious that this is what an Addison Rae album would sound like: glittering, confident and dance-floor ready. But now, when heard in the context of the album itself, a song like “Aquamarine” is actually an outlier. “I’m not hiding, anymore,” sings Rae. “I’m free.” And while it’s not the only time Rae sings of feeling free on Addison, (she does so on “New York” as well), it is far from the theme of the album; much of Addison is about a time when she felt quite the opposite, but made the best of it anyway on her road to liberation.

It’s deeply admirable how consistent Rae is about her proclivity toward fame throughout the entire album. “Nothing makes me feel as good as being loved by you,” she sings in one of her most honest moments during a brief lull in the track’s pace. She lets the spotlight steer her (“Tell me who I am”); implores it for its lustrous shine (“When you shame me, it makes me want it more”); and eliminates any doubt about her right to exist within it (“There’s no mystery/I’m gonna make it, gonna go down in history”). If all the world’s a stage, Rae is stopping nothing short of standing front and center.

Ending her debut album with the already-released and widely loved “Headphones On” is pure brilliance. As the song and music video make clear, “Headphones On” is an ode to music as an escape — arguably one of the most relatable sentiments of all. Closing Addison — an album that is so subtly steeped in various traumas — with a song about accepting the pain proves that Rae is not only an artist with a vision, but an artist who is more self aware than she gets credit for. “Headphones On” even has self-referential lines like “life’s no fun through clear waters,” a sentence that gets its own interlude, or “soaking up the rain,” a nod to “In the Rain” — and it all points to the same thing. Addison Rae knows exactly what she’s doing. She’s been listening carefully, and now, it’s the listener’s turn to do the same.

Nine months later and “Diet Pepsi” is still just as refreshing as ever. From the very beginning, it has always felt like the kind of song that demonstrates how well Rae has her finger on the pulse of pop today. It showcases her ability to craft a punchy hook ready to wrap around your brain (and your heart) for days on end. It winks at the listener just enough to know Rae is in on the bit, but not so self-indulgent that it feels corny or warrants an eye roll. It proves she is clearly capable of crafting a radio-ready earworm, but the rest of Addison proves the nuance in her artistry, even if fans would happily take a dozen mainstream fastballs. With “Diet Pepsi” bubbling back to the forefront thanks to the arrival of Addison, don’t expect it to fizzle any time soon.