blackbear, everything means nothing | Album Review 💿

Suffering from heartbreak, the pain of pop musician blackbear on everything means nothing is the listener’s gain.  

Blackbear has only seen his profile elevated over the years.  That said, the 29-year old has been around for a while.  Furthermore, he’s written and produced for others. His breakthrough came in 2017 with “do re mi” (digital druglord) which gave him his first Billboard Hot 100 hit as a solo artist.  Amazingly, in 2019, he’d outdo himself, thanks to a Top-40 hit in “hot girl bummer.” “Hot girl bummer” ends up on his latest studio album, everything means nothing.  Suffering from heartbreak, his pain is definitely the listener’s gain throughout the course of the album.

“hot girl bummer”

“Fuck you, and you, and you / I hate your friends and they hate me too.” What a colorful way to commence ✓ “hot girl bummer” as well as everything means nothing.  With “hot girl bummer,” blackbear earned the biggest hit of his career.  Essentially, he’s totally unimpressed with these stereotypical, shallow young women – he’s not with it. Depending on who you ask, “hot girl bummer” was among the worst songs of 2019.  That said, from my end of things, at least contextually, it’s an enjoyable start to the album.

Up-tempo, energetic pop cut ✓ “me & ur ghost” begins with the chorus, which is catchy from the jump: “I’m not alone, it’s just me and your ghost / And this cripplin’ depression…” Furthermore, it sets the tone for the feelings that blackbear is experiencing. Following the chorus, he delivers a short first verse, where he’s basically ‘mad as hell,’ destroying his ex-girlfriend’s belongings: “I got four red bottoms, up in flames now / I burned three Chanel dresses, three words we don’t say now.” The second verse is wordier, in a pop-rap approach that’s more regretful: “I can’t even kick it with the homies that we both know / I can’t even fuck with any places that we used to go…” On the bridge, he tries to erase it all. It’s overdramatic, but bear manages the role reversals well – the man is scorned here!

On the third consecutive hit from everything means nothing, well, the women continue to get the big thumbs down from blackbear. ✓ “queen of broken hearts” isn’t specifically about women to be fair.  Here, the singer is annoyed by social media, something he imagines would be a totally destructive queen. “I’m the queen, bow down to me / I will leave you out to bleed.” Yep – socially media can totally kill you.

“I feel bad”

“Hot girl bummer,” “me & ur ghost,” and “queen of broken hearts” definitely front load everything means nothing.  Following that power trio, blackbear delivers three songs that are all about feelings.  Notably, they were all recorded the same week. On ✓ “I feel bad,” once more, a woman has a terrible effect on the pop singer. Case in point, “you’re like a college grad that majored in the art of fucking over everything we had.” Yikes! Even though he’s pissed, he’s pissed in an infectious, poppy, up-tempo way.  After ‘feeling bad,’ bear moves on to ‘feeling 2 much.’

On “I feel 2 much” he slackens the pace, but don’t call it a slow jam – there’s still groove. Basically, he’s all in his feelings and he knows he’s too deep.  Why? If you guessed a girl, you’d be correct.  The pain and plight of love continue to be real for blackbear.  His pain, however, continues to be our listening pleasure.  Finally, there’s “I felt that,” where “every time you lie, you lied, I felt that shit.” From a sound perspective, “I felt that” blends a pop, electronic, and R&B script.  “I felt that” is readymade for pop radio.  Blackbear, alongside Aaron Harmon, Andrew Goldstein, and Jordan Reyes ‘put in work’ as far as the production is concerned.

“sobbing in cabo”

“Hide my face in a glass / Drink my feelings for you / Knowing nothing will last forever / I’m sobbing in Cabo / Without you, it’s awful.”  There it is ladies and gentlemen – blackbear continues to experience bad love on “sobbing in cabo.” It’s nothing brand-new for the singer, who’s meshed heartbreak with and geographic locations in the past.  He enlists Trevor Daniel for the assist on ✓ “clown,” one of just two collaborations on everything means nothing. Both singers have starkly different voices, which makes for an intriguing listening experience.  Where bear has more of a cutting instrument, Daniel’s is cooler and smoother, but still incredibly potent.  The chorus is one of the catchiest of the album:

“Roller coaster, up and down
We’re so high, can’t see the ground
Paint our faces like a clown
Let’s pretend we're happy now.”

“half alive” represents one of the grooviest blackbear joints to date.  The rhythmic, soulful ‘disco’ guitars add some additional spirit – some spunk.  Even so, our tatted-up singer is still all messed up by love.  Sure, there’s some tempo and danceable vibes propelling him, but his heart continues to be heavy.  Furthermore, he’s wasted AF – a coping mechanism.

“if I were u” 

Blackbear has done a fabulous job sharing his hurt all by himself throughout everything means nothing.  Trevor Daniel added some pizazz on “clown” while Lauv does the same on ✓ “if I were u.” Honestly, these are two good ones together – love/love issues are kind of their lane.  Once more, like with ‘bear and Trevor, these two have two completely different voices.  Regardless, it works, yielding another enjoyable listen.

If you expect something starkly different on “why are girls?”, well, you’ll be disappointed with the penultimate track. “Why are girls so hot? / Take everything I’ve got,” he asserts on the chorus, which pretty much says it all. He’s awed by beauty, but definitely disillusioned with relationships themselves.  Blackbear closes the relatively brief album with “smile again,” where he remembers the good times in a previous relationship. He wishes it hadn’t ended, but you can appreciate the fact that “smile again” shows more progression towards a happier place compared to much of everything means nothing.

Final Thoughts 

Everything means nothing is an enjoyable, well-rounded album by blackbear.  He’s not an artist that’s known for tremendous depth or transcendence, but I’d argue this album feels like a good fit for him overall.  Where ANONYMOUS ran too long (50 minutes), the skinnier, 37-minute duration of Everything means nothing feels just right.  It’s a straightforward affair, but solid production and consistent personality from bear makes it a winner.

✓ Gems: “hot girl bummer,” “me & ur ghost,” “queen of broken hearts,” “I feel bad,” “clown” & “if I were u.”  

Blackbear • everything means nothing • Beartrap, LLC / Alamo / Interscope • Release: 8.21.20
Photo Credits: Beartrap, LLC / Alamo / Interscope