Carly Rae Jepsen • The Loneliest Time

THE LONELIEST TIME 💌 Oct 21. I’m quite fascinated by loneliness. It can be really beautiful when you turn it over and look at it. Just like love, it can cause some extreme human reactions.

Preorder now. 💖🖤🌛🍇https://t.co/Sui6vttiR9 pic.twitter.com/hLCVDrmbXS

— Carly Rae Jepsen (@carlyraejepsen) August 2, 2022

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QUEEN OF PARENTAL ADVISORIES

Holy shit

personally I think loneliness is really fucking boring but I hope she can change my mind

Bullion + Jepsen is a fantasy come true and I have the highest hopes for this

i'm very excited, personally i love loneliness and i can't think of anyone i'd rather hear sing about it.

I'm also excited to hear what she does with Bullion

Is that some kinda cryptocurrency thing?

here for CRJ's version of

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ow8cLdgJ5LE

personally I think loneliness is really fucking boring

If you're not lounging in chiffon with bejeweled fruit, you've been doing loneliness all wrong.

Is that some kinda cryptocurrency thing?

Close... Elon Musk's latest child

I already regret invoking his name on what should have been a celebratory thread

Mods plz dlt user

Oh God I just realized I misspelled her name in the thread title!!!

mod fix plz?

Karl Ray Jetson

Kenley Ray Jepsen

Curly Joe Jackson

Carly Ray Vaughan

well the new single "beach house" is quite the pivot from "western wind". just about stays on the right side of quirky i think. insanely sticky chorus - it's giving aqua

i wish she didn't give the quirkiest lines to some random men, i think she'd sell "i've got a lake house in canada and i'm probably gonna harvest your organs" a lot better!

hmm this is mediocre

Where are y'all located? It's not out in US Eastern yet :(

I thought "Western Wind" was hinting that the album was going in a more chill direction, but now this one... Aqua is a good comparison. Catchy but pretty lightweight

I'll be honest, my expectations were lowered once I saw the album art. Haven't heard Beach House yet, and I'm still unenthused by Western Wind, so I'm holding a wait-and-see position.

Yeah, I'm not sure about this one. Weird to hear her come out with such a weak chorus.

i'd take "good time" over "beach house" really

was expecting a lot worse based on the reaction to it

heh it's actually worse than I was expecting

the more i listen the more i hate it

Three times was my limit. Fortunately I doubt I'm in any danger of ever hearing this in the wild, so I may never hear it again.

Aqua is a good comparison

You have my attention.

Can’t see the Aqua comparison. Sounds like a decent but not great CRJ track.

there's a plastic, uber-catchy, 90s europop vibe to the chorus that reminded me of something like aqua

Oh it def reminds me of them, the europop vibe. Also male/female vocals with quirky lyrics

She comes out with bad songs sometimes. Party for One was a rough introduction to the Dedicated era for me. I was very relieved when it didn't actually end up on the record. I liked Cut to the Feeling at first but it really is just a chorus, isn't it? Let's Be Friends had that stupid dick joke/laugh in the middle. What were you thinking, Ms. Jensen?

Anyway, I don't think this is one of her bad ones! It definitely sounds musically out of character as far as her past few records. It's not like, sophisticated Carly. But I think it's a fun, funny song. If I have a criticism of it, it's that at 2:30 it gets in and out too quickly, much like the 2:41 Want You In My Room from Dedicated. I really think it could have used one more verse about boys number 5 and 8 or something. I really like the guy background singers on the chorus and bridge. So yeah, I'm on Team Beach House.

her worst song is that one christmas song she put out, just the pits

or let’s be friends, which i had completely forgotten about

Thought you meant her cover of "Last Christmas", Brad, until I looked it up. The lyrics of "It's Not Christmas Til Someone Cries" have put me off wanting to hear the song

I'm not even a scrooge about Christmas music, but yeah, It's Not Christmas Til Somebody Cries is a stinker.

all of these terrible songs are on streaming and yet utter jam “me and the boys in the band” still isn’t, it’s a cruel world

love the lyric of the new one but do not enjoy it musically, it made me think of jessie j and typing this sentence has made me depressed

cut to me in october saying “beach house sorta works in context” lol

lol

don't even hate the song as much as some of you but if the song works in context, then i'd be worried about the album

This sounds more like Black Eyed Peas than Aqua and it sucks.

Hope Western Wind is a better indication of what the album sounds like.

xp Well, the next track is about what gets done with those organs

Listening again and it’s worse than Black Eyed Peas. It sounds like a DNCE song.

This is giving me deja vu to the time Taylor Swift released ME! as the lead single for Lover
(Beach House is better than that, but I was hoping for more of a Warm Blood vibe for this album)

That was disappointing. It doesn't flow - the chorus grinds to a halt with "I'm probably going to hurt your feelings" and then the song seems to start again. It's just irritatingly stop-start. The middle eight doesn't work. It has surprisingly little Carly Rae Jepsen in it.

I enjoyed "I Want You In My Room" because it flowed well, it had some clever chords, and the production was retro without being overpowering. The chorus was like a one-two punch - it came in two parts, with the second part acting like a bonus chorus, a pleasant surprise. In contrast "Beach House" has a weak single-part chorus that just brings the song to a halt.

It has nothing to do with Aqua. It's not in the same league as Aqua. Aqua was genius. You, "Beach House", are no Aqua. If anything this song reminded me of how well-written "Happy Boys and Girls" was. To this day I still can't tell if the melancholic undercurrent running through that song was deliberate was real or exists only inside my head.

I still have faith in Carly Rae Jepsen but I fear she has been led astray. I'm not suggesting she should be kidnapped and forced to work with Mark Ronson. Kidnapped is such a loaded word. Enticed, with cheese.

brad otm about it sounding like jessie j lol

Jesus, I somehow hadn't heard Western Wind until now

Works so well in context!

I think the only track which hasn't really convinced me yet is the opener, weirdly, cos people seem to love that one

WW rules i don't know what the naysayers are on about

Beach House though, that had me worried

Look forward to sitting down with the whole thing

this record is just so fucking great

world stops and the autumn leaves freeze in time mid-fall for the entirety of "western wind" every time i play it

sheesh maybe this is her best album

I like this album. Also I like "Beach House," it's her most convincing disco track.

This album is fun

Beach House isn't great, I find it cringey, both lyrically and musically.

The title track is a way better disco bop, after she yells: "I'm coming back for you!" Iconic moment. Then those disco strings!

Talking to Yourself is def the best single from the bunch imo.

"beach house" feels like its knowingly cringey, which makes it...camp?

Technically I think it's knowingly camp, which makes it ironic. I don't know, it's a goofy song, hard to hate. She's kind of goofy! That's what charmed me about her live show, she's got kind of a shtick going.

And I agree, the title track is her best disco. But Beach House is fun too.

Bends is driving me crazy because I'm certain the melody of the verse is basically the same as a Momus song, but I can't figure out which one. I think I might be thinking of Voyager, but I'm not really sure.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iqKDUXp2gDk

Almost certainly a coincidence, just too weird to imagine Jepsen listening to Momus of all people.

Anyway, this album rules, can't stop listening to it.

This album is good, not great. I think it may be a grower. Beach House does kinda suck and take you out of it, I do wish it wasn’t there. Nothing really sticks out, which is a shame, she has had some great star making moments and this seems to lack a “Too much” or “Boy Problems”. It’s a nice pop star “growing up” record though, like Taylor has been doing for a while.

On a first listen I love this album. The back half I think really nails that convalescent feeling of coming out of a long isolation, the emotional neediness of it, that mix of joy and gratitude and fragility and a sense that the good things may not last. "Bends" into "Western Wind" is perfect.

Can't wait to listen to this in full. She was amazing last night in Berkeley

Did she play songs from the album? I've been wondering about her setlists, since she started touring before the album was out.

she's playing a bunch of the new album on this tour yes

ooh bullion co-produced/wrote "bends" and "far away"

After one listen, I definitely like The Loneliest Time more than Dedicated, which never really hooked me apart from a couple songs. we'll see how it compares to EMOTION after a few more listens. "Beach House" still sounds out of left field tho, not sure I'll ever really like that song

"shooting star" reminds me of the last kylie album, i really like it but wish it rode out the coda more

just like with EMOTION, the bonus tracks are amazing. "Anxious" might be better than anything on the album

I didn’t realise that was a bonus track, seems odd not to be part of the album to me.

I guess thinking back it’s a classic CRJ move, see “Drive”

Heh, I similarly wasn't aware the EMOTION bonus tracks were bonus tracks when I first heard it. I just thought it was a very long, very good album

I wish the whole album was co-written by Bullion. Far-away and Bends are great. I want more of that.

Bends to Western Wind is indeed a perfect combo.

Xxxpost: maybe CRJ doesn’t know Momus but Bullion might.

i don't think "bends" is ripping "voyager" at least

lol at some point it came out that haim co-wrote "making the most of the night" under a pseudonym and i never knew until now?

I finally listened to the song "The Loneliest Time." It sounds like it's going for an Olivia Newton John vibe.

Not hearing Momus per se but it does sounds like german electropop from early 00’s - backing track at least - something like Barbara Morgenstern, Lali Puna, isan… stuff like that.

"the loneliest time" is excellent. that and "western wind" outclass everything else on here.

the rest is fine, but those are just excellent!

lol at some point it came out that haim co-wrote "making the most of the night" under a pseudonym and i never knew until now?

Huh I never knew that either. When I heard Sia's version of it, it made perfect sense that she co-wrote - it's a very Sia melody. I'm not sure what part Haim wrote, but the chorus has the quick pace of some of their songs

Add my name to the list of ilxors who love "Western Wind". Suggests an alternate universe where she collaborated on an album with Benoit and Sergio.

Don't get the hate for "Beach House"! If No Doubt got back together and released it I'd love it. And I love it this way too

'western wind' definitely one of my songs of the year.

Might be just the pop duet thing but Loneliest Time is giving me vibes of Annie/Jake Shears on Neon Lights

Okay, late to hearing this, but it really is terrific, especially the back half. Damn. Cut "Beach House" and it comes within swinging distance of flawless, imho. Absolutely love "Western Wind", "Go Find" and "The Loneliest Time" in particular.

another beach house hater wtf

and he's probably gonna hurt your feelings

It’s not that it’s terrible, it sticks out too much.

I don't hate it, it's just not great and sticks out like a sore thumb, ruining the flow.

i can sense your hate, don't lie

"Beach House" was a real crowd-pleaser live by the way, a fun moment in the show

Being a good live-show tune is definitely what I feel the intention behind Beach House is.

I genuinely don't hate it, I would like it more as a standalone single that works great live and shows up on her inevitably killer singles comp. It just takes me out of the album's otherwise great vibe.

It’s not that it’s terrible, it sticks out too much.

― ✖✖✖ (Moka), Wednesday, November 16, 2022 8:28 PM (yesterday) bookmarkflaglink

When I stick out, then I stick out too much.

The sequencing on this album is a thing of beauty. I mentioned Bends into Western Wind, but also love Go Find Yourself or Whatever into The Loneliest Time. Bc The Loneliest Time, on its own, is poised on this knife-edge between genuine hope and false hope: it could be a love story, or it could just be the kind of self-deluding fantasy you spin when you're lonely and starting to think it's a good idea to call up your ex. But Go Find Yourself or Whatever is so clearly about being able to hold reality and false hope in your mind at the same time: "Tell me that we'll meet up someday/I'll tell you that I'm no good at tellin' lies," but also, simultaneously, "and I'll wait for you." So that when The Loneliest Time starts after that final "I'll wait for you," the balance tips just slightly in the direction of fantasy: this vision of reuniting, loneliness ended, everything back the way it was and the sun on the water in the morning, it's beautiful but it isn't real.

that's so sweet

came by just to say it's clear to me now this is her best work yet. It mightn't even be close.

"bends" is really so good i hope she does a full album with bullion next

Ohh that's Bullion producing? Maybe I knew and forgot. The song is great, yes. Doesn't seem her style to do a whole album with one producer, but I do hope they work together again

"keep away" really should have been on the album instead of beach house