Album Review: Ava Max – Don’t Click Play
2 min read
Who doesn’t know Sweet But Psycho?? It was impossible to ignore Ava Max’s arrival. Since then, she’s become a mainstay in pop, known for her anthemic hooks. With her new album Don’t Click Play (released through Atlantic Records), Ava steps into a new era, with her third studio album looking to mark a significant shift in her creative direction – a hoped evolution achieved though parting ways with long-time collaborators Cirkut and Madison Love, as she looks to craft a sound that’s fresh yet unmistakably hers. Let’s see if she’s managed to do what she set out to achieve over these next twelve tracks….
Opening with title track Don’t Click Play and it’s probably the strongest on offer – clear similarities to old track The Motto. The album then weaves through a succession of chart synth-pop, with the plucky How Can I Dance, the driving beat of Lovin Myself, and the pretty tame Sucks to Be My Ex. For those with a keen ear, You immediately hear Michael Sembello’s Maniac sampled/copied in the energetic Wet, Hot American Dream, but there’s nothing really there to keep you interested, while Take My Call features a clear take from her own back catalogue – Hold Up.
Know Somebody slows down the tempo, in a solid track to provide a different sound to the offering so far, and this down tempo groove continues through to Lost Your Faith, though with some guitar riffs extra, and a little extra groove added in Fight for Me. Skin in the Game is fine… but instantly forgettable, whilst penultimate track World’s Smallest Violin has a nice violin intro and this weaves through the track, and rounding off the offering is Catch My Breath, which is back to the up tempo earlier tracks, but of a higher quality, in what has to be up there with her stronger offerings from this album.
I wasn’t a huge fan of Alchemy to be honest – there were a few half-decent songs in there, but in the main it was pretty underwhelming. The anthemic hooks were very much missing, and honestly there wasn’t much in there to remember, even for the most stalwart of fans. Her recent album tour cancellation was officially due to quality control: the tour wasn’t of a standard she was happy with, though the rumours persist that it was due to poor ticket sales – and I can see both being true… you can see the difference Cirkut and Madison Love made.
