Slayyyter, a St. Louis-based pop artist who has been releasing singles since 2018, released her first full-length project on September 17, and it has quickly become one of my favorite pop projects in a very long time. Slayyyter has a post-internet aesthetic but at the same time uses the imagery of early internet culture like Myspace and flip phones. Her self-titled mixtape is representative of this multi-faced image. She is capable of sounding like Britney Spears on songs like “Alone,” but also embodies the style of a Kesha song, like the opener, “BFF.” It is also worth mentioning that just like the band from my previous article, Slayyyter is another of the first prominent bubblegum bass projects released in the United States and marks its introduction as a genre of prominence in U.S. pop music.
One of the reasons I became hooked on this project after my first listen is because of the potent, chaotic energy. Songs like “BFF,” “Alone,” and “Daddy AF,” which incorporate elements of bubblegum bass, give the mixtape the push from a solid electropop album to a beautiful, genre-fusing project. Channeling the chaotic, sexual energy of early-’10s Kesha (known then as Ke$ha), Slayyyter makes an attempt at, and is successful in, digging out her niche in the vast pop landscape of 2019.
The first song on the tape, “BFF,” which features Ayesha Erotica, is a perfect introduction to what you are to expect of Slayyyter. Catchy melodic hooks and a blend of post-internet style with early-internet culture have built her career. “Mine,” the second song on the tape, is as far from electropop as Slayyyter goes on the project. This dance-pop club banger leads into what is in my opinion the best track on the album, “Alone.” “Alone” is, without a doubt, Slayyyter’s best song to date and has some of the best production value on the tape. Ayesha Erotica, who hasn’t released any music since 2018, is responsible for the production on “BFF,” “Alone,” and “Candy,” which is the next song on the tape. “Candy” exudes sexual energy, which is 50/50 split between the production and the vocal performance.
There is no doubt in my mind that, by the end of 2019, Slayyyter’s fanbase will be one of the fastest growing in modern pop music. She’s already completed her first tour, with more shows announced and a possible second tour coming soon as well. Her NYC show sold out extremely quickly, and fans are begging for more concerts on the East Coast. With her popularity online on the rise, I think Slayyyter will become a known name in modern pop music very soon.
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