With Idolater kindly streaming the record in the days leading up to the release of Prism, I gave Katy Perry's third record a listen to see just how much Katy Perry has managed to shake off her teenage dreams, or whether she's still the same old California girl.
- TRACK BY TRACK -
ROAR
"Roar" is a rare thing. It's a song that's so immediate that you get sick of it very quickly, but then after constant exposure it grows on you again. A boomerang-grower of sorts. Totally feel good, would've fit on Teenage Dream perfectly. When the final chorus hits, it's a joyous ray of sunshine that only a Katy Perry song really manages to pull off.
LEGENDARY LOVERS
Awesome bhangra vibe to this one. Thanks to "Wide Awake", we know Katy can pull off a dark pop ballad, and "Legendary Lovers" is no exception. There's a hint of Florence and the Machine in the tribal pounding of the chorus.
Disco guitars begin a song called "Birthday", and we're wondering when this 'dark' Katy is going to appear. No complaints though, as "Birthday" is catchy and Madonna-esque. A little bit anonymous, but good fun none the less. "It's time to bring out the big balloons, I'll get you in your birthday suit..." - Good to see she's still as subtle as ever.
WALKING ON AIR
Good ear for trends Katy! "Walking On Air" shamelessly ticks every early 90s rave revival box, and it strangely suits her. It sounds a BIT like Cher at times, but it has enough choppy samples to just about ensure it's the right side of cheesy.
Something for Teenage Dream Katy fans. After "Walking On Air", "Unconditionally" unfortunately comes off as filler. Despite Katy's trademark melodramatic yelping, it never quite grabs your interest on such an ambitious record.
DARK HORSE FT. JUICY J
The track that's caused the most buzz, the "Trap-pop" track, is actually relatively tame. The verses succeed in being relatively sexy and sleek thanks to Katy's breathy vocal, but the track never quite goes anywhere. "Dark Horse" is still too pop-cautious to really create the vibe it thinks it has. Saying this, in a club, this would probably be a different matter.
A bit of a Skrillex edge to the production, and a late 90s R&B edge to the songwriting, and as much of a car-crash as this could've been it actually turns out to be a highlight of the record. Typically dorky Katy Perry lyrics, and like "Walking On Air", she sounds like she's genuinely having fun. Could've done without the "shout out" middle 8 however. Save it for the arena Katy.
INTERNATIONAL SMILE
A nu-disco sound on this one. Sounds like it was produced by the French Dr Luke, and it's gorgeous. Manages to be "lush" in a way that Katy never managed before, and it's another highlight. My god, even the keyboard solo works.
Starts off promisingly with warm, bubbling synths, but it's ruined once it decides to go off on a techno tangent. It sounds like a Teenage Dream b-side. Shame, everything was going so well.
LOVE ME
Another one of Katy's ballads-with-a-beat that I'm really not fond of, but it wins me over once the chorus hits. It has a pretty and understated melody sung majestically by Katy, and the steady rolling drums and Avicii-lite pianos make it subtly epic in a way that we've not seen Katy pull off before.
THIS MOMENT
Oh hi Robyn, I didn't know you were at the Prism party! Chill, the Swedish popstress is not featured, but the burbling bassline and jittery electro beat on "This Moment" are straight from Body Talk. Shame the track itself isn't anything special.
DOUBLE RAINBOW
More elements of Swedish pop on this one too, dare-I-say a hint of bands like MS MR and CHVRCHES. It's pleasant, but where a band like MS MR would keep things exciting with their raw energy, Katy's voice and the production are both just too polished on "Double Rainbow" to really pull this off.
BY THE GRACE OF GOD
It's a ballad, would you have guessed? There's not a lot to say about this, you could interchange this with "Pearl" on Teenage Dream and it would still fit. If you like Katy Perry ballads, you'll love this. It's very "Wide Awake".
SPIRITUAL (BONUS TRACK)
Katy goes a bit Massive Attack, and bloody hell it works. It's surprisingly UK trip-hop sounding, with another one of Katy's new found subtle vocals. It could've easily made the non deluxe Prism better by punctuating it's mid-end album semi-slump.
IT TAKES TWO (BONUS TRACK)
A throwback to One Of The Boys with it's piano and guitar singer/songwriter based approach, which is quite refreshing. It's not spectacular, but a nice reminder that Katy is more than just a pop singer, she's an artist.
CHOOSE YOUR BATTLES (BONUS TRACK)
Another epic Europop number, and probably stronger than its sound-siblings "Double Rainbow" and "This Moment" that actually made the record. Katy does a great job, but I'd actually love to hear Florence Welch sing this. Maybe it's time for Katy to start giving away some tunes?
- VERDICT -
The experimentation on Prism is it's greatest asset, and a risk that has been taken cautiously but not timidly. As a result, it's not only her best record but probably the best pop album by a major artist this year.
It's not without it's flaws. The album's phenomenal party hits are bunched together in the first half of the record, leaving the much subtler tracks exploring her spirituality to unfold one after another in the second half, until the record fades out with a whisper, when it began with a "Roar". The weaknesses in Prism are amplified by this emphasized duality, and a more diverse track order could've distracted.from this. At 13 tracks non-deluxe, a couple of tracks could've been omitted also.
Prism may be a hit and miss record, and perhaps a little self-indulgent when compared to the tight-commercial-mindedness of Teenage Dream, but it gives us hope that Katy could still be going and evolving in 10, even 20 years. With Prism, Katy Perry has just taken her first step out of pop stardom towards potential pop legend status. It'll be a long road, so don't let us or yourself down Katy.
- Joe Copplestone, 19/10/13
@JoeCopplestone
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