On Sept. 26, Doja Cat released her fifth studio album titled “Vie.” “Vie” is an album based around the tender moments of love and getting over a relationship which is a giant juxtaposition to her last album “Scarlet” which is about learning to embrace anger, ignore public opinion and personal self reflection.
The title “Vie” is the French word for life. With the title being French, it is expected that there would be many French elements in the songs, from classic style that is typical of French music, or the usage of French words. This is only prevalent in three of the 15 songs on the album which is a little disappointing.
Doja Cat stuck true to her roots with her classic 80s pop sound, with this album having some jazz undertones mixed in throughout. This album isn’t solely a rap or pop album but a mix of both. Almost all of the songs start out with a few singing verses then it glides into a rap chorus. Each track blends into each other so smoothly it can be hard to acknowledge that the songs have changed till the lyrics come in.
“AAAHH MEN!” sounds the most different from the other tracks. The song that embraces more of a 70s futuristic sound where Doja Cat really gets into the rap elements for most of the song. Doja Cat samples the theme from 80s’ TV show “Knight Rider.” The song is all about battling the feelings and attraction for a questionable man. “AAAHH MEN!” also hints at Doja Cats sexuality poking fun, saying “am I gay or am I just angry?” when the man in the song is being extra frustrating in the moment which is ironic as Doja Cat is openly bisexual. On the end of some of the verses she adds a layered chorus which adds to the futuristic sound.
“Gorgeous” is a surprisingly deep song. Doja Cat expresses the hardship of being a woman and the toxic culture of the standards of beauty. Doja Cat also struggles with the idea of getting old and her body changing because she feels the need to keep these relentless beauty standards as she ages. Doja Cat lists some of the different things many people do to be seen as gorgeous in society’s eyes. This is happening all while the instrumental is upbeat contrasting with the more somber lyrics.
“Vie” features widely popular R&B artist SZA on the track “Take Me Dancing.” This is the third release that Doja Cat and SZA have done so this collaboration wasn’t too shocking to see. “Take Me Dancing” is an extremely danceable song about needing to get away from everything for a night on the dance floor with a stranger.
One song that stands out is “One More Time” because it’s the only song on the album not rated as explicit. Its lyrics are about breaking the cycle, growing as a person, and making it through the rough times of a relationship with vocals fading off. The instrumental contradicts these themes with powerful drums and the continuation of the 80s’ pop themes. Doja Cat easily proves that not every rap or pop hit needs to have swear words in it to sound good or add a sense of relatability to it.
The second to last track on the album “Happy” embraces the French title of the album with its pre and post chorus with it being in French, “Brise mon cœur, encore, ce soir” translates to “Break my heart, again, tonight”. The song is Doja Cat confronting her ex asking the typical question “are you happy?” This felt predictable and it lacked some depth that was expected with it being one of the closing tracks.
One of the biggest critiques is that some of the songs in the album felt interchangeable with each other. If Doja Cat chose to get rid of these repeating songs the album would feel more complete. Many songs share the same theme making you feel like you have already listened to them before. It feels like some of them were made to fill a possible time quota.
Doja Cat is a master of creating an overall fun album. The beats are addicting, her voice is enchanting, and the rap verse flows beautifully. “Vie” is one of the better albums that have been released this year in pop and rap settings. There’s nothing more to say the album was great beside a few nitpicky things here and there. With this new wave of danceable, fun music it’s breathing life back into the music industry with Doja Cat leading the pack.
