Rebecca Black, she of the inescapable 2011 online smash hit “Friday,” has a new dance-heavy EP, “Salvation.” For an artist who first emerged at age 13 promising dance-able fuel, she continues deliver — just with a very different approach.
Now 27, the singer, songwriter and DJ has evolved past her early viral days to find new tools to articulate fun: thumping techno, garage revivalism, house bangers.
“Salvation” is Black’s fourth EP. It offers seven well-produced albeit short tracks; in an ideal world, it would’ve been a full album with more latitude and aural landscape to play with.
Even in its abridged fashion, Black uses “Salvation” as a declaration of autonomy, exploring themes related to the very challenges of her sudden rise more than a decade ago.
The title track “Salvation,” is a hot-and-bothered romance with a nice backbeat atop acid bass and Black delivering a convincing Lady Gaga-inspired sprechgesang.
Three tracks later, during “American Doll,” Black addresses expectations she’s had to endure and combat. “Sit up/Act right/Smile big/Spotlight/Don’t speak/Be nice,” Black sings in the opening. She examines the love-hate relationship that fans have with her and her journey: “Did you like me better then?/Do you wanna hate me now?” she continues. “Playing pretty and pretend/With a pillow on my mouth.”
If there is a standout, it is “Sugar Water Cyanide,” a club-ready song ripe for a deep remix and accessible with pitched-up vocals. The dance floor beckons.
For many years now, Black has been in the driver’s seat of her career, distancing herself from the pressure that arrives with becoming very famous, very fast, while very young. And she may continue to keep both hands on the wheel, as long as she can keep manipulative industry forces at a safe distance.
On this release, her “Salvation” appears to be that freedom. And it makes for a fun listen.
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