Blurring dark EDM with sensory lyrics, Doja Cat’s fourth studio album “Scarlet” asserts a newfound embrace of her individuality — extending her unconventional and sometimes controversial media image with a confident, subversive artistic transformation. She layers gritty rap with touches of hip-hop, somewhat straying from her former style of pop and R&B. Her intentionality imparts a bold, deliberate persona onto “Scarlet.” However, structural redundancy and lyrical unoriginality across many tracks detract from this otherwise empowering effect.
Released on September 22, “Scarlet” serves as a powerful testament to Doja Cat’s new mentality of embracing her “demons.” She ditches the bubbly “Hot Pink” persona and the “Planet Her” dreaminess for something darker. For example, she replaces her previous fantastical and futuristic tunes with ominous EDM in mostly minor keys. She matches these urgent introductions with jarring images in her music videos, drawing inspiration from satanic and dystopian tropes. For example, she dons crimson from head-to-toe and partners up with the Grim Reaper in “Paint The Town Red.” Meanwhile, in “Agora Hills,” she sashays down a chaotic street with overturned vehicles and flaming electric poles. All elements in “Scarlet” are evidence of how she ignores others’ opinions and continues on her unorthodox journey as a musician.
Lyrically, “Scarlet” delves into many ways Doja Cat has changed in character, as well as her confidence in embracing such change. She dismisses the often toxic opinions of the public, in favor of a wholly individualistic viewpoint. Lyrics like, “Now I feel like I can see you [expletive] is depressed/ I am not afraid to finally say [expletive] with my chest,” from the 15th track, “Attention,” and “I ain’t lookin’ good? You hallucinatin’” from the fifth track, “Ouchies,” exemplify such agency. Amidst widespread public scrutiny, Doja Cat’s “Scarlet” serves as an overwhelmingly clear metaphor for her own bold redefinition. Themes of feminist power underscore both the lyrics of “Scarlet” and the overarching nature of Doja Cat’s unabashed eccentricity in an industry where the male gaze often objectifies the music female artists produce. Moreover, unique musical enhancements like the pentatonic motifs layered beneath Doja Cat’s catchy beats in “Attention” further paint a radical overhaul of Doja Cat’s prior public themes. Listeners naturally gravitate toward clear, authentic power in any artform — this is what Doja Cat does especially well. “Scarlet,” in its unadorned lyrics and guttural instrumentals, provide a fresh break from the disconnected music of archetype, towards the immersive art of confident trailblazers.
Despite Doja Cat’s ambition to express herself through an album focused on rap music, redundancy is a major shortcoming in “Scarlet.” In terms of structure, 13 out of her 17 tracks start with similarly-paced EDM: the beginnings of “97” and “Gun” almost sound the same. In terms of lyrics, they overflow with profanity and distract listeners from the central idea of self-advocacy. There are also a lot of instances where meaningless sounds are used instead of words to act as fillers. The pre-album singles “Paint the Town Red” and “Attention” set the bar high because of the fresh ideas implemented in them. Unfortunately, “Scarlet” did not live up to expectations due to dull repetition and shallow lyrics.
Despite its powerful portrayal of Doja Cat’s confidence, “Scarlet” earns a 3 out of 5 stars for its repetition across tracks and intra-album unoriginality. Nonetheless, despite its somewhat underwhelming execution, “Scarlet” serves as a powerful testament to Doja Cat’s new self-construction. In sum, Doja Cat embraces her “demons” in an attempt at musical reinvention; an imperfect attempt, but an admirable one nonetheless.
