Ava Max - Heaven & Hell (Review)
Ava Max brings some good ideas mixed in with far too many missteps on her debut album...
18th September 2020
Atlantic
My Rating:
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5.3
/10
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REVIEW
Since the release of her breakthrough single "Sweet But Psycho" in 2018, a song I entirely blame for the cringe-inducing trend and overuse of the word 'psycho' in pop music, Ava Max has been a rising star within the mainstream, and one that's caused a considerable amount of division too. For one, this is an unapologetically poppy artist, and much of the negative reaction to her music has been from people repulsed by how overproduced and shallow her music is; however, much of the praise has come from people who've been drawn into her 'edgier' writing, as well as her maximalist stylings that differ so much from the downtempo trap pop that dominated at the time of her first single. Where do I stand on her music you ask? You're about to find out...
For the most part, my reaction to "Sweet But Psycho" was a positive one, its full, well-produced sound standing out for the time whilst her lyrics came across as a little generic but playful and engaging nonetheless. Even now in a year far less lacking in tracks of this demeanour, the song continues to grab me particularly for its sweeping synths and dark, looming bassline, providing in the music the nice contrast that fits the exact theme and title. Inversely, her second single "So Am I" felt like the caricature of overproduced empowering pop music, the lyrics especially grating on my nerves with this one as it strived to appeal to the wannabe-edgy pop kids whilst utterly failing to provide anything of substance, particularly given the ultracommercial pop instrumental that featured far too many moving parts, none of which particularly worked en masse, creating an experience that was jarring due to its overproduction.
Subsequent singles flew past, failing to leave much of an impact on me and quickly falling from my memory. That is, until I had to cover her single "Kings & Queens" in my Summer chart ranking, where I placed it confidently in the Bad Tier, complaining that I finally understood what people meant when they called Ava Max 'offensively poppy', reaffirming that I believed the song contained no substance, and was equivalent to knockoff glamorous furniture. I somewhat disagree with what I said now, particularly regarding the guitar solo, which I no longer think is out of place, despite a poor transition between its first use and the bridge. No, the song isn't quite as bad as I made it out to be, although I still think its feminist messaging doesn't quite work, particularly when the song was written and produced by men. On top of this, the bassline seems to be at a breaking point, unsuccessful at providing a groove or even a well-placed contrast as on "Sweet But Psycho", instead serving as the song's worst irritation when listening through headphones. Overall, I still dislike it, but when looking outside of the main singles this album has some interesting things on offer.
Take the brief intro "H.E.A.V.E.N" for example, opening the album up with a grandiose backing vocal and subtle, staccato synth arpeggio that progresses into quite an epic synthpop track with some smart edits that encapsulate the thrill and adrenalin of love, but perhaps also alluding to the confusion that comes in some of the later tracks. Despite the frustrating spelling trope of the title, thankfully only used once during the song, it's a pretty fantastic track that sets the tone for an album that's far cleverer than I would have expected coming from Ava. Unfortunately, the delivery of such quality is inconsistent across the album's remaining songs, but it certainly has its moments to shine here and there.
Likely unsurprising is the fact that the album is overproduced, but I don't think that fact alone is a valid critique of the album, especially given the intricacy and detail of production on albums that can often be the selling point rather than a detractor. No, the issue on Ava's album comes from the full-and-then-some approach to making the instrumentals, and the understandable failure of the producers at making this work considering the age of compression and limiters we live in; in other words, producers nowadays are expected to provide a very specific style to their work that plays every song's individual instruments at the same high level in the mix. This is not at all complimentary to music like Ava's where there are many instruments and effects making up a song, leaving almost no space to breathe in the mix and on this album in particular offering no room for a good groove, all too often using the bass as part of the atmosphere in more of a trap pop move that doesn't translate well to Ava's maximalist approach to pop music.
The song in which this issue is at its most prevalent is undoubtedly "OMG What's Happening", a track that does actually feature a more traditional bassline, but one that lacks the punch of something like Dua Lipa's "Don't Start Now" due to the lack of emphasis placed on it, failing to provide something enticing and danceable. In fact, this problem with the album also leads to more of my focus being directed at the drums, often having to carry the groove entirely by themselves. Unfortunately, I once again have to complain considering how cheap and harshly metallic the drums sound in comparison with the rest of the album's reasonably consistent instrumental choices.
Next, I wanted to go through a quick rundown of some of the album's most notable tracks, both good and bad, starting with "Naked". In many ways, this comes across as a watered down version of what Rina Sawayama did on "Tokyo Love Hotel" and "Chosen Family", two of the best songs on Rina's own debut album from last year, and an album that was far more committed to its experimentation and weirdness. By contrast, "Naked" is pretty tame in comparison, an eighties pastiche that's pleasant but not particularly interesting, although I do have to commend Ava's honesty on this track above anything else. After a few very skippable songs we arrive at "Born to the Night", a pretty unoriginal and dull song in terms of its lyrical substance but one that draws a lot of power from its melody due to the interpolation of "Major Tom", helping a mediocre pop track transcend to something more than worth your while.
Elsewhere, the album's transition into the 'Hell' side of things is done pretty clumsily with the track "Take You To Hell", a song who's dark atmosphere is immediately compelling for the first minute, before transitioning into another forgettable moment of melodrama with the chorus. It's a shame, particularly when the album continues to nosedive with the whistle-heavy "Who's Laughing Now", a track that on first listen had me lose all faith in this album being worth my time... or so I thought. Because, once that track is over, the album's best track begins. "Belladonna" is a dark, slinky synthpop number with some of the sharpest writing in the verses and a chorus that lacks in subtlety, but makes up for it by just how compelling Ava's vocal delivery is.
The instrumental on this song reminds me of Hurts, an electropop duo with a penchant for the theatrics who've released quite a few mixed albums themselves in the past, but this song draws from a similar place due to its repetitive, lowkey synth arpeggio that runs throughout the song, as well as the double blow of choir sample and synth in the verses that sets up an ominous atmosphere that explodes into danger with the chorus. What distinguishes this song from Hurts though, and what distinguishes it as truly Ava's own, is her vocal delivery and conviction, for once selling the fact that she poses some kind of threat to the partners she has in a way that balances the playful and sinister aspects that comprise this song's atmosphere. It is the perfect Ava Max song, and I really hope she continues in this direction going forward.
Following this is the album's shakiest pair of songs: "Rumors" with its awkward chorus, as well as the aforementioned "So Am I". Thankfully though, this album ends its run with a solid set of tracks that I feel give the album a proper conclusion, summarising the album's best highs without totally repeating itself. This is mainly due to the track "Salt", this overlooked single being Ava at her most successfully feminist, paying tribute to numerous powerful women who've inspired her, creating a truly inspirational moment that probably should have ended the album... but instead she chooses to end it off with the song that started everything, "Sweet But Psycho". Whilst it might not be my preferred song for her to have used, it remains a thoroughly enjoyable experience, and is also her poppiest, most memorable song.
As much time as I have spent criticising Ava Max during this review, I do think she has a lot of untapped potential that I'd love to hear her explore more of going forward. From the bold, bizarre synths on the opening track "H.E.A.V.E.N" to her solid writing on tracks like "Naked" and "Salt", as well as her distinctive vocal performances on "Born to the Night" and "Belladonna", this album has many highlights that I do actually enjoy, even if its dragged down by a few significant misses, as well as certain production and instrumental choices that bring down the album across the board. It might not be consistently good, but I feel like it could be the start of a fruitful career, and that I look forward to.
TRACK RATINGS (/10)
1. H.E.A.V.E.N - 7
2. Kings & Queens - 3
3. Naked - 6
4. Tattoo - 4
5. OMG What's Happening - 4
6. Call Me Tonight - 4
7. Born to the Night - 7
8. Torn - 6
9. Take You To Hell - 4
10. Who's Laughing Now - 2
11. Belladonna - 8
12. Rumors - 4
13. So Am I - 1
14. Salt - 8
15. Sweet But Psycho - 7
BREAKDOWN
Ambition: 4
Atmosphere: 6
Catchiness/Enjoyability: 6
Content/Ideas: 7
Emotion/Engaging: 6
Execution: 5
Production: 4
Structure: 4
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Lyrics: 5
Vocals/Flows: 6
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Total: 53
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