Rebecca Black Gives Us Salvation
Written by: Peter Swan
Rebecca Black’s latest project is a tour de force for the artist – and it makes me mourn for what could have been.
Do not get me wrong; this is the Irvine-born Latina singer/songwriter’s best piece of work to date! It’s sexy, dark, thumping, and sonically dense. But so much of this project’s allure and timeliness is dulled in the face of recent tragedies. Chief amongst these are the disastrous Los Angeles fires which have irrevocably scarred the city and will take some people years to recover from, if they ever do (and which prompted Black to delay the album by a month out of consideration for those affected); The other tragedy comes from Donald Trump’s relentless assault on the rights of queer people, trans people, and people of color, all whilst billionaires bulldoze the country into outright facism.
When I first listened to this project over a month ago, I was thrilled. This album is so danceable, electric, and FUN! Rebecca Black seemed poised to enter new heights. Now, I struggle to place who this album is for right now. Pretentious WeHo gays and obnoxious Bushwick queers will undoubtedly love this. But what’s changed in the last few months is that there is not a sense of party willing to be had. To have fun right now seems irresponsible. The winter has been long and cold. People are just starting to come out of their houses. People are not yet ready for the hot, thick air of sweaty vibrating clubs – at least in my circle, we’re all coming out fragile, holding each other to the best of our ability, the blankets still wrapped around our shoulders. And as soon as the wind starts to pick up, we’re retreating back inside, still waiting for those warmer days.
I hope that once we’ve been sufficiently warmed that people remember Ms. Black’s music is still there for us. And obviously, that one Bushwick queer will be sure to remind you. I only pray that we have the patience and wherewithal to listen to they/them.
One last piece of mourning, albeit this is mere speculation: A project like this has clearly been in the works for a long time – and likely began prior to the release of Charli XCX’s seminal album brat. Whilst some songs here may have been inspired by that iconic brat summer, Black’s songs possess their own unique force. They’re darker, much more neon-obsessed, and a little grimier than Charli’s own. However, I’m afraid that the inevitable comparisons between these albums may dull people to the genius behind Black’s project. I am not saying that this album would have replaced brat in the zeitgeist – Charli and her marketing team made something truly iconic and irreplaceable — but I wish Salvation had a chance to exist without the context of brat also already existing.
With ALL THAT being said: this album features some of the most danceable, sexiest, and arguably the noisiest pop bangers that we may get all year. The first half of this project is significantly stronger than the latter, not because the latter half is bad, but because the former has some of the most confident, exciting, electric tracks I’ve heard in a while. The first three songs are alive and visceral – they activate your core being in a way few others do. Whip your hair. Down your drink. Stomp your feet. Fucking scream and kiss and feel your body tingle with adrenaline.
Whether you’re a casual fan of Rebecca Black, or whether you remember her techno Boiler Room set, you may be surprised at how dark this album sounds. The bass throbs and folds into itself before exploding outwards in violent, uncontainable bursts. Beautiful moments give way to noisy. Distorted chaos. The songs themselves evoke images of nights spent sweating at clubs, sometimes horny, sometimes angry, but always ending up cathartic. It’s pure, unadulterated fun, which again, feels almost irresponsible right now.
“Salvation” sets the tone for what to expect. The acid bass is dark and groovy, there’s a low synthy BRR-rRRr techno instrumental reverberating in the background, but Black’s vocal high and the bouncy beat gives it a brightness that constantly oscillates between dark and light. It’s like listening to light break through clouds – there’s some incredible production magic happening throughout this track – and then you hit this crystalline period 2/3rds of the way through the song where Black just holds a note as the track sweeps you away on a wave of pure, blinding, pulsating magic. It’s honestly incredible.
The highs only get higher as we move into “Trust” – a song incredibly more electric, dark, and sexy than what came before. Trust is the sonic equivalent of dancing in a pitch black room where thick, red lasers continually flash, and you’re staring transfixed watching a body contort itself in front of you. Around you, you’re scarcely aware of people bumping and grinding on each other. The instrumentals are wavering, but the beat is this LOUD, inescapable, almost barbed rhythm that keeps coming, while the hi-hats are these sharp, almost tiny little stabs coming in quick bursts. It’s a song that BUMPS and has that fuzzy bit of distortion that makes it feel tailor-made for the clubs that will (hopefully) inevitably pick this up.
Next up, we have the highlight of the project, “Sugar Water Cyanide”. The song has pure pop banger written all over it – it's very reminiscent of the late Sophie in the way the song morphs and builds from this beautiful melodic pop song to something almost horrifying yet enrapturing all within the span of a couple seconds. The song also highlights Rebecca’s voice as a dynamic instrument, forcing her to go from soothing melodic croons, to sped up, out-of-control demonic chants. This song has a chorus that you can’t help but scream along to – It’s loud, it’s fast, and it’s exciting! It’s the best anthem Black has ever released, and one that will surely be the song to end all her sets from now until her retirement. It’s everything.
From here, the rest of the album drops off in intensity. “American Doll” is an undeniably sexy song about how femininity is used to force people into submissiveness and powerlessness. While the song is playful and sultry, lyrically, I wish this song had been a little more pointed or powerful. Instead, we’re left with a thumping song about being tossed around. This song is like dancing with a stripper, but they’re just saying things you already knew about how others treat them.
“Tears In My Pocket” picks us back up, and takes us into what seems like a fairly standard pop track. However, right as the first verse finishes, the instrumental suddenly cuts out, and we’re met with these shifting pockets of emptiness and sound which becomes the song’s beat. It’s honestly shocking how well this track works – it’s simple, it’s short, it’s noisy, and it’s fun! By the time you start getting used to the song’s rhythm, it’s over.
And finally, as we conclude with “Twist The Knife”, we receive Black’s final gift: a fun groovy disco track! This song is both a victory lap, and a concluding statement: “For my final sacrifice… dancing ‘till I die.” For you, Ms. Black, we shall forever dance. There’s also a pretty epic organ in the chorus, and that is its own reward to hear.
Overall, this album does BANG! It features Black at her best as a producer, singer, hype-woman, and queer icon. If people had any doubt about her longevity after 2023’s solid but forgettable Let Her Burn, let this project dissuade them – MS. REBECCA BLACK IS BACK!!!! Salvation is a consistently good time, and it deserves to be put onto the decks of club DJs everywhere. Check this project out, and you will have a guiltily good time. And once the days are warmer and lighter, hopefully Salvation will help us have a little more fun again.