girls like girls the album
Hayley Kiyoko · Indie Pop / Queer Pop
Reviewed 2026-06-12
The Roast
“Hayley Kiyoko provela je jedanaest godina iscjeđujući svaku zadnju kap iz jednog viralnog singla iz 2015., i iskreno? Ta drskost je nadahnjujuća. 'girls like girls the album' je ono što nastane kad lezbijska Isus odluči da propovijed istovremeno treba roman, film, soundtrack I ekskluzivnu vinil inačicu. Izgradila si multimedijsko carstvo na temelju četverominutne pjesme koja je dosegla 145 milijuna pregleda na YouTubeu, što je ili najefikasnija upotreba teze u povijesti popa ili najduži krug slave ikad utisnuti na vosak boje 'rough seas'. Još uvijek ne znamo što je od toga. Album ima 14 pjesama i otprilike 45 minuta, što je sasvim razumno trajanje, osim što si popis gostiju nagomilala toliko visoko s Chelsea Cutler, Young Miko, Tegan and Sara, Gigi Perez, Joy Oladokun i August Ponthierom da cijela stvar prijeti postati manje kohezivna artistička izjava, a više jako gay varietejski show s filmskim dodatkom. Šest gostujućih izvođača na 14 pjesama nije suradnja, to je delegiranje. U nekom trenutku, Hayley, tvoj vlastiti album treba čuti više od tebe nego od tvojih izuzetno talentiranih prijatelja. I onda je tu slon u gatefold omotu: samo četiri od tih četrnaest pjesama zapravo se pojavljuju u filmu. Prodaješ ovo kao 'filmski soundtrack i studijski album' ali matematički je to 71 posto studijskog albuma i 29 posto soundtracka. To nije hibrid. To je pop ploča koja nosi filmsku značku da bi preskočila velvet ropes. Brendiranje ovdje vuče jako teški teret koji tracklista sama po sebi baš i ne završava.”
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The Bright Side
Evo što nitko ne može uzeti: tematska ambicija je stvarna, izvedba je iskrena, i queer pop ekosustav koji je Kiyoko gradila desetljeće doista je jedna od najdosljednijih i u zajednici ukorijenjenih karijera u modernom popu. Tegan and Sara na Kiyoko ploči nije samo pokazivanje veza, to je izjava o nasljeđu, i to nasljeđe je važno. Vinil 'rough seas' je stvarno lijep kolekcionar koji nagrađuje fanove koji su ovdje bili još od originalnog singla. Za prvobitnu redateljicu dugometražnog filma koja ISTOVREMENO objavljuje soundtrack koji je ALSO baziran na njenom NYT bestseleru, sam organizacijski podvig zaslužuje pravo priznanje. Lezbijska Isus nije sagradila ovu crkvu preko noći, i kongregacija očito još uvijek raste.
Hardest Sneer
“Pretvorila si jednu pjesmu iz 2015. u roman, film i album od 14 pjesama, što je ili vizionarsko građenje svijeta ili najrazrađeniji odbijanje da se jednoj pjesmi dozvoli da se dostojanstveno povuče u mirovinu.”
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Issues (4)
Guest Star Surplus: Your Album Called, It Wants Its Spotlight Back
Receipt
Six credited collaborators across 14 tracks: Chelsea Cutler, Young Miko, Tegan and Sara, Gigi Perez, Joy Oladokun, and August Ponthier. That is a feature artist appearing on average every 2.3 tracks.
Fix
Audit the sequencing so at least the album's first half belongs almost entirely to your solo voice. Save the ensemble moments for the back stretch so the record builds toward community rather than opening with a crowd and leaving listeners unsure whose album they are actually on.
Soundtrack Tax: Calling It a Film Score When Only 4 of 14 Tracks Qualify
Receipt
Per the official release notes, only four songs appear in the film 'Girls Like Girls,' yet the album is marketed under exclusive license to Focus Features as both soundtrack and studio album.
Fix
Be transparent in the marketing hierarchy: lead with 'studio album' and position the soundtrack designation as the bonus context, not the headline. Audiences who buy expecting a cinematic experience and get a pop record will feel misled, and misled fans write the worst reviews.
The Decade-Long Single Stretch: First Love Themes With a Ten-Year Expiration Date
Receipt
The project is described as 'a spiritual expansion' of the 2015 single 'Girls Like Girls,' with themes centering on 'first love and self-discovery,' which were also the exact themes of the original song, the 2023 YA novel, and now this album.
Fix
Push at least two tracks on the album into thematic territory beyond first love, specifically into what comes AFTER: the maintenance of love, its complications, its mundane beauty. You have earned the right to write about queer relationships that are not beginnings. Give your audience something to grow into.
The Vinyl Exclusive Trap: Rewarding Webstore Fans, Punishing Everyone Else
Receipt
The 'rough seas' colored vinyl with gatefold jacket is exclusive to the artist's webstore, meaning it is unavailable through standard retail or streaming-adjacent physical channels.
Fix
Consider a timed exclusive window of 4 to 6 weeks on the webstore, then release the variant more broadly. Exclusivity builds hype but erodes goodwill with fans who cannot afford to monitor a webstore drop. The gatefold packaging is genuinely lovely and more people should be able to hold it.