Slayyyter’s third album, ‘WOR$T GIRL IN AMERICA,’ was going to be her last, which is surprising given the success of her first two — ‘Troubled Paradise’ and ‘Starfucker’ — after her self-titled debut mixtape. Though this album is a self-described ‘recession indicator,’ it’s a return to the Midwestern impoverished indie rock pop roots that 29-year-old Slayyyter grew up on by highlighting the height of Y2K culture at its rawest and realest, inspired by artists of the era like Lady GaGa, Ke$ha, Justice, 3OH!3, Crystal Castles and The Black-Eyed Peas. WOR$T serves as a recalling of a simpler, trashier time. The album delves into hedonism, love, loss, the double-sided coin of music industry fame and existential dread, capitalism and more three-dimensional aspects of women in modern pop.
The opening track, ‘DANCE…,’ is a seedy anthem about forgetting your woes and dancing in the midst of blowing off creeps. ‘BEAT UP CHANEL$’ and ‘OLD TECHNOLOGY’ pose wanting expensive material things against nostalgic times when charts and numbers were nothing in comparison to trending on Tumblr. ‘CANNIBALISM!’ sounds like a live band’s dive bar Halloween banger that would be huge if it hit the mainstream airwaves. The iconic song ‘CRANK’ burns out the speakers and pushes the knob to 11 with a high-energy, upbeat dance track about losing control.
‘GAS STATION’ follows as a sleazy ballad to a deadbeat man who left his love interest at the titled gas station. ‘YES GODDD’ is another crown jewel on the album, combining rock and electro for a braggadocio-filled, affirmational thrasher that reminds me of Janet Jackson’s ‘If.’ ‘UNKNOWN LOVERZ’ feels like a chilled Gwen Stefani/Lana Del Rey-inspired love song that sounds like a blunt on a beach day. ‘OLD FLING$’ starts up reminiscent of ‘Dancing On My Own’ about reversing the trope of an old flame with someone else, but now with her.
‘I’M ACTUALLY KINDA FAMOUS’ takes a dialogue-driven turn, with Slayyyter trying to show up a clubgoer while convincing the same clubgoer that she’s, as the title suggests, famous. It ties well with the following track, ‘$T. LOSER,’ that falls in and out of distorted, altered states, genres and moods about thinking of someone else. The final three tracks, ‘WHAT IT IS LIKE TO BE LIKED?,’ ‘PRAYER’ and ‘BRITTANY MURPHY,’ come as a bit of a trilogy showcasing the other side of fame — having it all but feeling empty inside, as if the material things don’t amount to what life is all about.
‘PRAYER’ then delves into Slayyyter’s Catholic upbringing and self-reflection as she recites St. Francis’ Prayer. The final track, ‘BRITTANY MURPHY,’ ends with a period signaling multiple ends — the album itself, the untimely end of the life of the title’s namesake and the end of the track list. In it, Slayyyter wants to be remembered for the bright star she’s proven to be, even if she leaves this world earlier than predicted.
This album takes a run-of-the-mill, trashy pop girl and shows how much more than a passing trend she is. Slayyyter stays true to her roots and her current social standing as a queer icon and powerful musical force, especially with a sold out upcoming tour. Slayyy, queen!
8/10
