Troye Sivan's Blue Neighbourhood: one of 2015's best albums [Review]
Troye Sivan's debut studio album Blue Neighbourhood puts together the best of pop, EDM and experimental music, producing a sound that's dark, sophisticated, yet immediately appealing.
Each of the tracks is almost flawlessly written, with deep, honest lyrics full of imagery.
"Distance makes the heart grow fonder/Said by someone stronger than me" Sivan mourns in the slow jam DKLA.
His musical experimentation is at its best on The Quiet, which is so full with sound but at the same time empty and still.
It's not all sadness: it's also a celebration of being young and free. It's clear that Sivan is having the time of his life "trippin' on skies" and "sippin' waterfalls" on Youth, and he says he's not ready to settle yet in Lost Boy. His fear of losing this energy is hinted at in the nostalgic Suburbia.
While it would have been nice to hear more vocal range and faster tempos, it's still safe to call Blue Neighbourhood one of the stand-out records of the year.