Troye Sivan’s ‘Blue Neighbourhood’: Review Revue

After several EP releases, 20-year-old South African/Australian singer-actor Troye Sivan finally released his debut LP, the emotional soundscape that is Blue Neighbourhood, today (December 4). We sampled what online critics had to say, and it seems pretty unanimous: The Internet is loving the album as much as they’ve already been loving the young man who recorded it.

See our roundup of Blue Neighbourhood reviews below.

:: The Guardian gives the album a five-star review: “His is soul music for the X Factor generation – kinks ironed out, immaculately teased, and with lashings of instantaneous, three-minute emotion. This is not a slight by the way. On a song like the mournful Betty Who collaboration, ‘Heaven’, he exhibits a clear understanding of a fundamental truth. Everyone has their own blue neighbourhood.”

:: The Boston Globe notes, “Blue Neighbourhood is as contemporary as R&B-flavored electronic pop comes — darkly seductive and riddled with coming-of-age anxiety. (If you know Sivan from his online presence, you’ll be disappointed to realize none of his sass and humor have translated to this album.) Like Lorde, he taps into millennial concerns about misspent youth and what the future holds, couching the songs in lustrous but minimalist textures.”

:: Billboard says “Blue Neighbourhood features soft-touch synths and booming drum machines worthy of the next Lorde or Taylor Swift record… In lieu of originality, Sivan sells ­vulnerability, using his choirboy voice to detail the scary thrill of sex on ‘Bite’, the rush of fame on ‘Cool’ and the cruelty of the silent treatment on ‘The Quiet’.”

:: The Sydney Herald raves, “Troye Sivan is making pop music smart again. In an era harking back to the bad old days when young acts are lumbered with generic songs hastily assembled by others purely to meet deadlines for maximum profit, Sivan is a gust of fresh air.”

:: And Pop is equally upbeat about Sivan’s album: “…we’re hear to tell you if it’s everything we thought it would be. SPOILER: It is.”

Enough of the critics — what are your own thoughts on Troye’s debut album? Let us know below!