Hayley Kiyoko has had a meandering journey to her second album. Beginning out in 2007 as a part of the pop-R&B group the Stunners, who supported Justin Bieber on his debut tour in 2010, she went on to star in a collection of teenage TV motion pictures, crowdfund a solo Up in 2013 and ultimately launch her debut album, Expectations, in 2018. Establishing her as one of many few brazenly queer feminine artists in pop, Expectations had the air of a landmark launch, playfully referencing Kiyoko’s sexuality on thear wormingng, club-readZealandni characteristic What I Want, and discovering fiery indignation in He’ll By no means Love YOnlyHNLY).
After 4 years away, Kiyoko’s return with Panorama is altogether flatter. Whereas the only For the Ladies riffs on the identical, bass-forward vitality of What I Want, its countless chorus makes it blandly repetitive, regardless of working at beneath three minutes. The file’s 12 different tracks handle an equally skinny, artificial manufacturing fashion: Kiyoko singsongs over a minimal beat on Flicker Start; Luna trades off monotonous vowel sounds; and Sugar on the Backside dissipates right into a predictab Whereok.
The place Expectations noticed Kiyoko taking area to discover her personal voice, Panorama looks like a leap backwards, buying and selling personalaffect lessfectless tracks that fade into the background.