Indie darling Rina Sawayama has attempted to break into the mainstream with her album, Hold The Girl, which debuted at #3 on the UK charts. Having been long awaited after her critically acclaimed debut, SAWAYAMA, we expected Hold The Girl to be nothing short of immaculate. That being said, the question still remains: Is it a bop or a flop?

Reviewers’ Background:

Maggie: I am someone who came into this album review with completely no opinion on Rina Sawayama. In fact, I had never even heard of her or listened to any of her music. As someone who is very passionate about music and has lots of opinions, I was excited to listen to the release and come to my conclusions. 

Nikhil: I was already a fan of Rina Sawayama prior to the release of this album, and was obsessed with SAWAYAMA. I loved her last album, and I would say she is one of my favorite artists.

“Minor Feelings”: 

Maggie: Personally this song is my favorite from the album, the lack of EDM beats allowed Rina to really show off her incredible vocals. It made the song seem a lot more personal and allowed the audience to connect with her more. This song stood out to me a lot more than the others because it was actually unique and not a repeat of the other songs. 

Nikhil: One of the interesting things about this album is the general dichotomy between the “softer,” more country influenced songs and the “harder,” more EDM and rock influenced songs. The latter are typically what I would gravitate towards, and yet I found myself enjoying the “softer” songs more, and “Minor Feelings” proves no different. 

“Hold The Girl”:

Maggie: For the song that inspired the name of the whole album, my expectations were high. However the mix of electric beats and the vocals were a let down for me. By listening to the whole album I can conclude that almost ALL of the songs sound just like this. This repetitive sound takes away from Rina’s stunning lyricism that really is so personal. 

Nikhil: The best way to describe this song is to say that it feels like it’s from Eurovision (you can  decide whether that’s a compliment or an insult). There’s just something about the larger-than-life vocals, aggressive EDM instrumental, and that key change! Is this song cheesy and melodramatic? Yes, but then again, so am I. On a more holistic level, however, this song is where this album’s strengths become most apparent; Rina’s exploration of her “inner child” within her lyricism is just breathtaking.

“This Hell”:

Maggie: This song feels like an attempt to create a song to play on the radio and leaves the feeling of it being forced. The way Rina included other women who were exploited by the media felt clumsy and out of place. 

Nikhil: This song is pretty representative of the entirety of the album. It cuts out pictures and turns them into a collage, haphazardly held together a mishmash of genres; the end result is ultimately a tad bit underwhelming. I know that this song is bound to be a crowd pleaser, but it’s not for me. 

“Catch Me In The Air”: 

Maggie: When listening to this album it’s hard to distinguish between the songs and everything mushes together. However when going back and listening to this specific song I definitely enjoy it a lot and wish that the whole album had more of this electric pop but still individual sounding songs that really fit Rina as an artist. 

Nikhil: Why does this also feel like a Eurovision song? But also a song that was made specifically for a soundtrack of one of those trashy YA romcoms? I feel I’m supposed to like this song for all the reasons I liked “Hold The Girl,” but I just don’t, or at least not as much. I’m sorry Rina, it’s not you, it’s me. 

“Forgiveness”: 

Maggie: I would have enjoyed this song more if it didn’t remind me of EVERY OTHER SONG ON THE ALBUM!!! Like girl, please, I’m begging you, stop with the EDM beats. It was really repetitive and the vocals didn’t have any new sounds than any of the other ones. 

Nikhil: I, once again, find myself enjoying some of the slower, more acoustic songs on this album. I like this song for many of the same reasons I do for “Minor Feelings,” and I definitely prefer it to “Catch Me In The Air.”

“Holy (Til you Let Me Go)”: 

Maggie: In this album and specifically this song, I really feel the influence of artists like Charli XCX and Lady Gaga. However, unlike them, she just sounds like a worse version of that one Disney Channel song “Calling All the Monsters” because let’s be honest that song slaps. 

Nikhil: This is perhaps the best attempt that Rina had this entire album at combining relatively obscure concepts with a mainstream sound. The dark and electronic beat provides a nice contrast with the more serious connotations of the lyrical content, which contemplate the relationship between Rina’s experience at Cambridge with her relationship with religion.

“Your Age”: 

Maggie: At this point I just want the album to be over and I’m not even halfway done. It is incredibly repetitive and other than two songs doesn’t especially stand out to me at all. Rina had a lot of potential with her angelic voice and incredible lyricism but honestly I think that this genre holds her back. Especially with her attempts to become more mainstream, this album comes off very impersonal and bland. 

Nikhil: This song is just kind of meh for me, to be honest. I don’t know why, but whatever that may be is amplified by it being preceded by one of the stronger tracks on this album. The lyricism, predictably, was impressive here as well, but not as thrilling to me. That Punjabi tumbi (it’s the peculiar instrument that you may have noticed in this track) is also pretty unique (also I don’t actually know if it’s a tumbi, but Pitchfork said so, and they could never be wrong, right?). 

“Imagining”: 

Maggie: Another very pop based song that mimics mainstream artists in a way that makes this song sound like you would find it in a Netflix created teen movie. Although this dance hyperpop sound might be for some people, it is not for me. 

Nikhil: Maybe I just have bad taste in music, but I loved the sort of hyperpop feel this song brought, with its melodrama and distorted voice. It definitely works for me, although I can see how that wouldn’t be the case for others. 

“Frankenstein”:

Maggie: This EDM beat wasn’t as bad as the other ones at the beginning and even started off with a more unique sound. It ended up being one of my favorites, although this genre is definitely not my favorite, I can appreciate that this song really encapsulates Rina as an artist. This is more of a genuine song and I feel like it wasn’t quite as repetitive as the others in terms of sound. 

Nikhil: Yes, it may technically be Frankenstein’s monster, but semantics don’t stop this song  from being one of the best tracks on this album! It may not be nearly as lyrically complex as many others on Hold the Girl, but it’s just incredible! That drumline! Enough said, go listen to it now! 

“Hurricanes”:

Maggie: The previous song had me hoping that Rina’s album would improve from this point. However I was very very wrong, what is this Camp Rock sounding creation and why is it here. 

Nikhil: My thoughts on this song are pretty similar to what I thought about “Your Age.” I’d honestly just rather listen to “Frankenstein” twice or something. Can we finally move on to my favorite song on the album now?

“Send My Love to John”: 

Maggie: Rina’s songwriting in this song really created a story with an almost country sound to it. However this song feels kind of out of place within the album as a whole. Within this album Rina is trying too hard to include too many different social causes and ideas. The story behind this song is really powerful, however it kind of loses value. 

Nikhil: With a dusky country aura, Rina’s storytelling abilities really create a wonderful tale of a mother attempting to “repent” for her not accepting his queerness, in large part due to her religious beliefs. Rina’s attempts to assuage the political climate—which often feels clumsy throughout the album—really shine here. I would have never expected a country song to have been my favorite song on this album, but here we are (yes, some people may argue whether this is a country song or not, but this is my review, not theirs :)). 

“Phantom”:

Maggie: In Rina’s album I feel as if she is trying to encapsulate so many political and social ideas/issues that when a raw song like this one is on the album, it comes off feeling fake. By trying to include so much it simply takes away from songs on the album. 

Nikhil: It’s similar to “Hold the Girl” thematically, but drastically different when it comes to the way they sound. Beautiful vocals, and the guitar! I like “Phantom,” and I enjoyed it much more than I was expecting to.

“To Be Alive”:

Maggie: Rina, honey, stop talking about rain. This supposed powerful ballad sounding song feels very fake and like an attempt to be deep. Rina’s vocals in this song are very beautiful but it doesn’t have a raw emotional piece like other songs similar to this sound. Part of having a personal song is putting your full heart into it when singing which is why this song seems so off. 

Nikhil: Um, Rina, I’m sorry, but would you mind if I listened to “Send My Love To John” another 673 more times? Don’t get me wrong, “To Be Alive” isn’t bad, just…really underwhelming for a conclusion to a piece of work as substantial as Hold The Girl. 

Closing Remarks:

Maggie: The songs all had a similar electronic pop sound that didn’t leave one song or another really sticking out. As someone who generally listens to artists like Phoebe Bridgers, Lucy Dacus, Mazzy Star, and Clairo, this genre of music is not one that I would choose to listen to on a daily basis. However as someone who loves story-telling in music (I am a major Taylor Swift fan if you couldn’t tell), I can appreciate the incredible lyricism. What makes me upset with this album is that the repetitive sounds and beats glops together the whole album and covers up the lyrics that I do enjoy. Some specific songs like Frankenstein, Minor Feelings, and Send my Love to John are three songs that lovers of the hyper-dance-pop genre will definitely appreciate. Overall I would say that Hold the Girl is a FLOP as a whole but has some bops within it. 

Nikhil: To be frank, Hold the Girl makes me feel a little conflicted. It’s undeniably more cohesive than anything else Rina has released, with a tightly woven story about childhood trauma, convalescence, and the journey towards healing one’s self. It still feels a little bit underwhelming in comparison to SAWAYAMA, but if anything, that just speaks to how incredible that record was. It feels as though she’s lost that alternative edge she once had in her pivot to capture mainstream appeal, but the combination of the thematic elements with that nostalgic Y2K sound just seems so deliberately cerebral. There’s still something lacking, though. This album feels like a dish with no salt; it doesn’t matter how many spices you add to it, it’ll still be missing that je ne sais quoi. I’d still devour that dish, as I will this album. All in all, Hold the Girl is a BOP.