Troye Sivan, In A Dream (EP) | Album Review 💿

South African/Australian pop standout Troye Sivan delivers an alluring, short but sweet, six-song EP with In a Dream.

After a quiet 2019, Troye Sivan is back! Sivan is one of the preeminent LGBTQ+ musicians in the game, even if he’s questioned if he’d be more successful if he weren’t gay.  It’s a legit question I suppose, but after following Troye for years, it’s hard to disassociate his music from the LGBTQ+ community in any fashion. Sivan does have a point about his success in regard to being underrated – Bloom was a fabulous album that should’ve had more buzz, period.  But, no need to cry over spilt milk.  Troye is back with a fine, six-song, < 20-minute EP, In a Dream (EP) that is alluring through and through – definitely a worthwhile listen.   

“Take Yourself Home”

Troye Sivan sounds exceptional on opener ✓ “Take Yourself Home”. As he sings, he barely breaks a sweat, delivering with incredible ease, yet packing a sizable punch with his colorful, expressive voice.  Besides a top-notch vocal performance, Oscar Görres (OZGO) gives Sivan a backdrop that incorporates both traditional pop guitars and dance/electronic touches, courtesy of keyboards and programming.  One of the best touches are synthesized horns, sigh. There’s even more greatness worth analyzing on “Take Yourself Home.” What about those background vocals? Better yet, what about the songwriting? The centerpiece is the chorus:

“I’m tired of the city, scream if you’re with me
If I’m gonna die, let’s die somewhere pretty, ah, ah-ah
Sad in the summer, city needs a mother
If I’m gonna waste my time, then it’s time to go
Take yourself home.”

“I’m still in love, and I say that because / I know how it seems between you and me / It hasn’t been easy darlin’.” Matters of the heart fuel ✓ “Easy” , a consistent theme throughout In a Dream (EP). The relationship has gone south, yet Troye isn’t ready to let go just yet.  He’s not the guilty party as it seems his boyfriend has messed up, seriously putting a damper on things.  The chorus, the centerpiece, sums things up awesomely:

“I can’t even look at you
Would you look at the space just next to your feet?
The wood is warping
The lines distorting
This house is on fire, woo!
Burning the ears right out my face
What the hell did we do?
Tell me we’ll make it through.”

Hmm, not sure, particularly given the dramatic, descriptive nature of those lyrics.  On the second verse, Sivan continues to express his pain, which is a mix of anger and sadness.  In a sense, he’s a man scorned, definitely a gray area when it comes to pop. 

“could cry just thinkin about you” 

“Every guy I want looks something just like you…” Ah, those matters of the heart! “Could cry just thinkin about you” is essentially an interlude – it clocks in at just 53 seconds in duration.  Even so, this brief number could’ve easily been developed into a compelling full-length song.  As is, “could cry just thinkin about you” is quite telling – also, enjoyable, even if we wish no heartache and love pain on Troye. 

✓ “STUD” is definitely one of the standouts from In a Dream.  I appreciate the honesty and openness of Sivan on this particular track, particularly regarding sexuality and self-esteem. He yearns for this ‘stud’ who exemplifies perfection – big, buff, and strong – while he’s none of those things.  “Hey, tough,” he sings early on, “What’s it like to be so big and strong / And so buff / Everything I’m not / But could I still be a hunk to you?” Self-consciousness is more common with men than often reported, and quite prevalent within gay men.  Troye goes on to open up about escapism through empty, meaningless sex, and constantly questions if he’s satisfying this ‘stud’ that ultimately not in it for the long term.  Musically, there are some interesting dance-pop cues, which you can thank producer extraordinaire OZGO for.

“Rager teenager!”

✓ “Rager teenager!” is arguably the crowning achievement from In a Dream (EP). OZGO continues to spoil us with his production skills with lovely warm pads, big, pummeling drums, and a great harmonic progression. Troye’s sound is ‘liberated’ throughout, particularly the pre-chorus and chorus. His vocals are top-notch as always, sounding incredibly masculine, expressive, and sexy simultaneously. Examining key sections, the pre-chorus might be the best.  It’s more dynamic than the chorus, and establishes the ‘liberated’ sound:

“I just wanna go wild
I just wanna fuck shit up and just ride
In your car tonight
In your bed tonight
I just wanna sing loud
I just wanna lose myself in a crowd
In your arms tonight
Or in his arms tonight.”

The pre-chorus is varied each time, keeping things fresh and providing variance. The chorus remains the same each time with no variation. Calmer than the pre-chorus, it’s potent as well (“Hey, my lil’ rager teenager / Tryna figure it out…”). Besides those two sections, the instrumental outro is a nice touch. Great singing, great writing, and great production makes this a gem.  The swear words also give it a little more pizzazz!

Fittingly, the plight of love is plastered all over the concluding track, “IN A DREAM.” Essentially, Sivan is trying to move past a break-up but it’s definitely hard to escape his ex – it’s messing with him.  Throughout, his struggle is superbly captured as he often contradicts himself regarding thinking about him/not thinking about him, wanting him back/not wanting him back, and etc.  In the context of the EP, it’s a fitting closer.

Final Thoughts 

As aforementioned, In a Dream (EP) that is alluring through and through – definitely a worthwhile listen!  Yeah, it’s only comprised of six songs – one of which is 53 seconds in duration – but it’s a compelling, potent set, period. Great vocals, great production (get it OZGO), and great songwriting seal the deal here.

✓ Gems: “Take Yourself Home,” “Easy,” “STUD” & “Rager teenager!”

Troye Sivan • In a Dream (EP) • Capitol • Release: 8.21.20

Photo Credit: Capitol