Following the release of her debut single “Obsessed” in 2021, Addison Rae has officially returned to music with her first project “AR”. Her debut single had veteran powerhouse pop writers like Madison Love, Leland, and Benny Blanco. Rae herself also has writing credits on the track unlike other artists transitioning from platforms like tik tok. Her debut sounded more like an album filler track and lacked the shine these new tracks have. Rae’s “AR” has been praised by fans months in advance due to a leak of her entire music catalog adding up to almost 20 songs. Fans online rejoiced when they found out these tracks would be officially released.
The project opens with “I got it bad”. This track is an infectiously catchy pop song with fun melodies and hard-hitting production. There’s one part of the production that jumps out from the background in a negative way. These bouncing dated synths stick out and make the song a little less effortless than it could’ve been. These instrumental setbacks can’t dim the energy of this song. “ I Got it Bad” is the type of pop that gets stuck in your head for weeks and is something you can’t stop thinking about” With writers Rami, OZGO, Leland, Madison Love, and Addison herself, this song was destined to be a catchy hit.
The next track “2 die 4” is a much simpler song in comparison to the previous one. It has more simple production and a fun catchy hook that will get stuck in your head. These songs are perfectly written to get into your mind in the best way popular. Addison’s vocals are much more relaxed and calm in this track than in “I got it bad”. This song sounds modern with distinctive production, lyrics, and vocals. Charli xcx also has a feature on this track. The only criticism for this track would be that her verse felt a little rushed but overall fun and matched the style of the song. Addison and Charli's vocals layered really well together, which helped compliment the track even more.
The 3rd track “Nothing on (But The Radio)”, is most notably known for being a Lady Gaga song. Her demo leaked almost 10 years ago but was repackaged and made for Addison. It’s interesting how this 10-year-old song sounds so modern and fits in well with the other songs on this EP. This song has a darker approach sonically than the rest of the songs on this EP, which makes it stick out. Addison sounds pleasant over the track and fits her voice in naturally. This song has lyrics by Billy Steinberg, Josh Alexander, Jacob Kasher, Madison Love, and Addison Rae.
The fourth track, “it could’ve been you”, is the stand-out track on the EP. Written by Alexander 23, Addison Rae, and Tia Tia, the song has the best payoff from the studio. The intro to this song is prominent and has a completely different style than anything else on this EP. The Verses are catchy lyrically, sonically, and vocally. They prepare for the pre-chorus and chorus perfectly. Everything in this song blends perfectly well and sounds modern. The production from Alexander 23 is simplistic but hard-hitting making everything feel so clean and effortless.
Overall, this EP was a good listen from Addison Rae. Being a full-fledged pop record, these songs are very catchy. They were crafted well by the studio personnel. For track rankings, “It could’ve been you” is first followed by “I got it bad”, “2 die 4”, and “Nothing On(But The Radio)”. This project was released under Sandlot Records. As for a debut album, Rae is rumored to have signed with Warner Records for what she called her "next chapter”.
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