For some reason I'm currently remembering the Billie Eilish poll from near the end of the old C/NC. I vividly recall the feeling of surprise that washed over me when I saw that she actually got majority NOT CRAP, followed by some people arguing how old PRF would've near-unanimously voted her as being CRAP and whether or not this shift was a good thing or not. Personally, I didn't vote because my opinion of Eilish's music is borderline non-existent, but I'm definitely on the side of it being good that she wasn't being voted CRAP by 90+% of those who did.

But I'm going off-course here - this poll isn't about Billie, but another artist that would've probably been voted 95% CRAP before the mid-10s, in a thread that likely would've been full of incredibly gross, tasteless sex jokes*. PinkPantheress has been blowing up over the past couple of years after getting her start on SoundCloud, and I have genuinely started to think that she is amongst the absolute greatest songwriters of my generation (that being Gen Z). The amount that I'm in love with her music has helped me understand the feeling that others have about other pop stars with cult followings amongst the terminally online, such as Charli XCX or Carly Rae Jepsen (both of whom I enjoy but wouldn't call myself a superfan of).

An unfortunate thing - her most famous song is called Boy's A Liar. There's a good chance you've heard it on the radio or at the grocery store or something, especially those of you with kids older than 3rd grade age. She has publicly stated that she thinks the song is crap and didn't expect it to be her biggest hit, and while I personally think the song is OK, it's definitely amongst her absolute worst work. Some personal faves that better showcase her style:




I also am quite fond of the personality she publicly portrays - she's been described as being "shy" and "awkward" by interviews and by herself, but I personally see it more as someone who isn't afraid to do things their own way, down to her Y2K-inspired fashion that people love to make fun of on social media. She also comes across as someone who deeply cares about her craft and the art of songwriting, way more than any concept of trendiness, and isn't afraid to acknowledge her influences.

If it isn't obvious by how much I've written, NOT CRAP, 0 WF - if there were negative waffles I'd add those

*To be clear, I still love plenty of sexual jokes and really don't say this with intent to judge anyone morally. It was a different era of the internet. I'm also ashamed of some of the stuff I wrote when I first started posting on the PRF and am selfishly grateful that my high school aged posts are mostly lost to time.

rayword45 wrote: Thu Jun 13, 2024 3:36 pm*Another Life*

Hell yeah!

Big fan.

I was sceptical when I heard "Boy's a Liar", but my (adult) kids persuaded me to try the albums - yeah she's superb, her music has that weightless glide of great techno and New Order, with wistful melodies. NOT CRAP.

There is nothing redeeming about this crap whatsoever. Ineffectual overproduced crap with recycled drum n bass lite patterns from 25 years ago and crap affected vocals.

BTW did I mention it's crap?

lol nah son

I made it about three seconds in.

zorg wrote: Fri Jun 14, 2024 3:53 pm I made it about three seconds in.

I skipped ahead a few times to see if it got better. It didn't.

Not my thing.

When you use Autotune to actually get your voice in tune instead of as an effect... give up.

That fucking software is a crutch for people with no talent.

I've been working on this theory about mainstream pop music in the 80's versus the 2020's and that's outside of genre in the 80's pop artists were fairly different from each other: Prince didn't sound like Michael Jackson who didn't sound like Madonna who didn't sound like Culture Club and so on and so forth. Maybe it's just not my vibe but your Dua Lipas and Charlie XCXs and whoever else sound so samey and boring to my ears. I don't TikTok. I'm older. I'm childless. I think Billie and Finneas are aight as they at least sound different from everything else.

Also questioning the ghetto fabulous hood aesthetic that permeates everything.

Freakin hate auto tune abuse but I do enjoy Selena Gomez and the Scene's "Love You Like A Love Song"

To me it sounds like Britney stuff when she started 'branching out', but way, way glossier somehow. Which, holy shit, is throwback music at this point. No thanks.