For many, the name Rebecca Black is synonymous with her infamous song “Friday,” which went viral for all the wrong reasons in 2011, being quickly dubbed “the worst song ever made.” Despite some commercial success, peaking at 38 on the Hot 100, “Friday” was seen as embarrassing, generally hated by critics and heavily memed on. The then-13-year-old Black was determined to turn the opportunity into a serious pop career. She has since released 3 EPs and 1 studio album, finding and improving her sound and artistry. Now returning with her second studio album, Age of the Exhibitionist, she seems to have finally found her lane.
On this new project, Black invites the listener behind the curtain of her fame, unpacking the reality of her relationships and emotional struggles as a pop star, and what it takes to pursue her dreams. She also details her journey of becoming more confident in herself, and more comfortable and free with her sexuality and queerness. Sonically, Age of the Exhibitionist is the loudest, boldest, and most electronic Black has ever sounded. Much of the instrumental on this album is influenced by hyperpop and dance-pop, but there are also a few slower, more RnB and house influenced tracks that lead to some of the album’s most interesting moments.
In the track, “Corsetry”, she takes on the persona of a dancer or showgirl who represses her emotions, hiding and squeezing them with her stage costume, which I thought was a very clever metaphor. In what I consider to be the thesis statement of the album, Black explains that for her, “Exhibitionism,” is about how she exposes herself to her lover, but also about the ways she presents herself to the world, leaving herself open to the critique and commentary she has faced since “Friday”.
While listening to this album on repeat, one three-track run in the second half quickly became one of my favorites in recent memory. “Visions Again,” “Wachesalon,” and “Metamorphia” are absolute earworms that I could not get out of my head long after I finished listening. The first is a very competent and catchy dance-pop track, reminiscent of Rose Gray or Robyn, in which she questions her outlook on stardom and her life path. In “Wachesalon” and “Metamorphia”, which are more aggressive and upbeat, the singer invites us into two fictional clubs, where we find her feeling free and mature, completely in her element. She is turning into “the woman that my mother wanted me to be,” and claims her “failure” of a breakout song: “just made a million of my so-called mediocrity”. Featuring some made-up words, unexpected production choices that shouldn’t work, and one of the most impressive outros I’ve ever heard, these songs are a complete mess in the best possible way, making for an absolutely exhilarating listen.
One of the main reasons I enjoyed listening to this album, and revisiting it, was the production work, especially by Nightfeelings (Steve Lacy, Kim Petras, Tinashe), and Oscar Scheller (Pink Pantheress, Kelela, Lily Allen). The more clubby, punchy production on some songs, and softer, slower beats on others all really suit Black’s voice and lyrics, and I found that all of the tracks took an interesting twist production-wise at some point, which I really appreciated. Personally, I found the weakest tracks on the album to be “Speakerphone” and “Anaheim Star,” which were the least surprising, and very sonically similar to her earlier work.
Age of the Exhibitionist shows that Rebecca Black refuses to be defined by her 13-year-old self. She is here to stay, like it or not, and she is being as authentic as possible.