Starfucker (Slayyyter album)
| Starfucker | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Standard edition cover | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | September 22, 2023 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 35:16 | |||
| Label | Fader Label | |||
| Producer |
| |||
| Slayyyter chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Singles from Starfucker | ||||
| ||||
Starfucker is the second studio album by American singer Slayyyter. It was released on September 22, 2023. An '80s-influenced electronic pop record, Starfucker explores a "dramatized" and satirical view of Hollywood, focusing on the culture of drugs, vanity, and celebrity. A deluxe edition of the album was released on December 1, 2023.[3][4]
Slayyyter worked primarily alongside Nicopop, who produced "Clouds" for the album's predecessor. Previous collaborators Valley Girl and Jordan Palmer returned to produce tracks for the album, alongside her touring DJ Owen Jackson,[5] and new collaborators Vaughn Oliver, Aaron Joseph, Baej Lambeux, Jacob Decoteau, and Chris Lyon.
It is Slayyyter's first charting album, debuting at number 17 on Billboard's Top Dance/Electronic Albums chart and peaking at number 10. The album received positive reviews from critics.
Background and development
[edit]Slayyyter released her debut studio album Troubled Paradise on June 11, 2021, to generally positive reviews. She described the album as "very thrown together", and sought to expand her musical tastes for a new project. She wrote nearly 200 songs for the album.[6] Inspired by old Hollywood tropes and her own experience moving to Los Angeles to pursue a music career,[7] she wrote songs that invoke celebrity and 80s and 90s films. She cited the erotic thrillers Blue Velvet, Body Double, and Basic Instinct as visual and lyrical references.[8][9] She used "broody synths" to create darker music, inspired by the American electronic duo Boy Harsher.[10] The album's title came from a conversation Slayyyter had with Jackson about the music industry, in which he'd referred to someone the pair knew as a "starfucker".[11]
The entirety of the album, as well as an estimated "50–60 [demo] songs", leaked online ahead of Starfucker's release.[12] Scrapped songs for the album include a track sampling "Stereo Love" by Romanian musicians Edward Maya and Vika Jigulina, which Slayyyter and her label were unable to release due to costly sample clearance fees.[13]
Composition
[edit]Starfucker is a sonic departure from Slayyyter's previous hyperpop style,[14] combining a more conventional, pop sound with club music styles such as techno[15] and electroclash.[16]
Singles and promotion
[edit]"Out Of Time" was released as the album's first single on June 9, 2023.[17] This was followed by "Miss Belladonna" on July 21, 2023, coinciding with the announcement of the album.[18] "Erotic Electronic" was released as the album's third single on August 18, 2023, alongside a music video where Slayyyter walks naked down Hollywood Boulevard.[19] The release of fourth single "I Love Hollywood!" coincided with its music video and the album's release on September 22, 2023.[20]
Slayyyter debuted tracks from Starfucker in her set at Life Is Beautiful Music & Art Festival in Las Vegas on September 22, 2023.[21]
"Makeup" featuring French-born American singer Lolo Zouaï was released on November 10, 2023, as a promotional single to promote the deluxe edition of the album, which was released on December 1, 2023.[22]
Critical reception
[edit]| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| The Line of Best Fit | 9/10[23] |
Caitlin Chatterton of The Line of Best Fit gave the album a 9/10 review, declaring it "an express delivery of utterly skipless dance belters".[23] PopBuzz ranked Starfucker at #17 in their ranking of the best albums of 2023, described by Sam Prance as "one of the best explorations of fame in pop since Lady Gaga's The Fame".[24] Paper named the album among its top albums of 2023, with Justin Moran writing, "the project still manages to sit left of center with an experimental energy that keeps Slayyyter’s brand of pop weird enough for all the outsiders who’ve followed her online since “BFF”.[25]
Courtney DelMar of 50thirdandthird deemed the deluxe edition of Starfucker her definitive 2023 album of the year, and was complementary of Slayyyter's "choice to mostly eschew the straight disco pop that has been in vogue, and make something for the clubs that is a little more indebted to and informed by the underground."[26] In a mostly positive review, Thejas Varma considered the record "pop at its best, a concoction of disparate influences working in sync to produce groovy earworms", but was critical of the track "Memories of You", considering the "bouncy Euro house tune [to be] weakened by a dated trance synth line in its chorus."[27]
Track listing
[edit]| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "I Love Hollywood!" |
| Nicopop | 3:04 |
| 2. | "Miss Belladonna" |
| Nicopop | 3:04 |
| 3. | "Dramatic" |
| Nicopop | 3:11 |
| 4. | "My Body" |
| Valley Girl | 3:41 |
| 5. | "Memories of You" |
| Palmer | 2:52 |
| 6. | "Rhinestone Heart" |
| Nicopop | 2:29 |
| 7. | "Erotic Electronic" |
|
| 2:23 |
| 8. | "Purrr" |
|
| 2:11 |
| 9. | "Plastic" |
| Baej Lambeaux | 2:41 |
| 10. | "Girl Like Me" |
| Nicopop | 2:46 |
| 11. | "Tear Me Open" |
|
| 3:38 |
| 12. | "Out of Time" |
| 3:10 | |
| Total length: | 35:16 | |||
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Starfucker" |
| 3:25 | |
| 2. | "Makeup (featuring Lolo Zouaï)" |
|
| 3:11 |
| 3. | "James Dean" |
|
| 2:29 |
| Total length: | 44:22 | |||
Notes
- ^[a] signifies an additional producer
- ^[v] signifies a vocal producer
- Tracks 4 to 15 of the deluxe edition mirror the tracklist of the standard edition.
Personnel
[edit]- John Greenham – mastering (tracks 1–7, 9–12)
- Ike Schultz – mixing (tracks 1–7, 9–12)
- Vaughn Oliver – mastering, mixing (track 8)
Charts
[edit]| Chart (2023) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| US Top Dance/Electronic Albums (Billboard)[28] | 10 |
Release history
[edit]| Region | Date | Edition(s) | Format | Label |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Various | September 22, 2023 | Standard | Fader | |
| December 1, 2023 | Deluxe |
|
Tour
[edit]To support Starfucker, Slayyyter began the Club Valentine Tour across the United States in October 2023.[29] The same month, dates for the United Kingdom and Ireland were announced for February 2024.[30]
Tour dates
| Date | City | Country | Venue | Supporting Act(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| October 25, 2023 | Boston | United States | Royale | Miss Madeline |
| October 26, 2023 | Brooklyn | Brooklyn Steel | Bayli Miss Madeline | |
| October 27, 2023 | Washington, D.C. | 9:30 Club | Miss Madeline | |
| October 28, 2023 | Philadelphia | Theatre of Living Arts | ||
| October 31, 2023 | Toronto | Canada | The Opera House | |
| November 2, 2023 | Columbus | United States | Newport Music Hall | |
| November 3, 2023 | Detroit | Saint Andrew's Hall | ||
| November 4, 2023 | Chicago | House of Blues Chicago | ||
| November 6, 2023 | Denver | Summit | ||
| November 7, 2023 | Salt Lake City | Soundwell | ||
| November 10, 2023 | San Francisco | The Regency Ballroom | ||
| November 11, 2023 | Los Angeles | The Novo | Bayli Miss Madeline Lolo Zouaï[a] | |
| November 12, 2023 | San Diego | The Observatory North Park | Miss Madeline | |
| February 11, 2024 | Dublin | Ireland | 3Olympia Theatre | |
| February 13, 2024 | Glasgow | United Kingdom | SWG3 Studio Warehouse | |
| February 14, 2024 | Manchester | O2 Ritz Manchester | ||
| February 17, 2024 | London | O2 Forum Kentish Town |
Notes
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ Irvin, Jack (September 22, 2023). "Slayyyter on Making Songs About Plastic Surgery and Drugs: 'If You Do Stuff, Be About It' (Exclusive)". People. Archived from the original on September 23, 2023. Retrieved September 25, 2023.
- ^ McIntyre, Hugh (October 24, 2023). "5 Things To Know About Slayyyter". Metro Weekly. Retrieved February 7, 2024.
- ^ Holly, Alex (September 24, 2023). "Sex, drugs, and Hollywood love with Slayyyter's Starfucker". Campus Times.
- ^ "Pop Singer Opens Up About Starfucker and the Glitz of Celebrity Culture". Alaska Commons. September 20, 2023. Retrieved September 25, 2023.
- ^ Marsh, Sophie (October 3, 2023). "Starfucker, the Hollywood Sign Looks Different Now with Slayyyter". Ch-Void. Retrieved October 4, 2023.
- ^ Mier, Tomás (September 20, 2023). "Talking Sex and Death at the Chateau Marmont With Slayyyter". Rolling Stone. Retrieved September 25, 2023.
- ^ "Love Letter to a Record: Slayyyter on 'The Fame' by Lady Gaga". Music Feeds. September 24, 2023. Retrieved September 25, 2023.
- ^ Wratten, Marcus (September 21, 2023). "Slayyyter: How the pop music superfan became the pop music idol". PinkNews. Retrieved September 25, 2023.
- ^ Ermac, Raffet. "Slayyyter Is Ready to Elevate". Out. Retrieved September 25, 2023.
- ^ Lochrie, Conor (July 24, 2023). "Slayyyter Thinks Her Upcoming LP 'Starfucker' Is the 'Greatest Album Ever.' But Maybe She's Biased". Rolling Stone Australia. Retrieved January 22, 2024.
- ^ Rodgers, Colleen (November 13, 2023). "On Tour With Slayyyter". Office Magazine. Retrieved February 7, 2024.
- ^ Howard, Drew (September 28, 2023). "Pop Crave Exclusive: Slayyyter Interview". Pop Crave.
- ^ "SLAYYYTER - Give It To Me Straight - Ep24". YouTube. Retrieved November 28, 2023.
- ^ Hess, Tobias (September 21, 2023). "Slayyyter on Fame, Starfucking, and Defying the Hyperpop Label". Interview.
- ^ Incammicia, AJ. "Slayyyter Is the Star of the Party in 'Starfucker'". Ones To Watch. Retrieved September 28, 2023.
- ^ Franklin, McKinley (September 22, 2023). "Pop Singer Slayyyter on Her 'Dramatized' Album 'Starf—–,' Walking Around Hollywood Naked for Video: 'I Understand Why People Are Nudists'". Variety. Retrieved September 25, 2023.
- ^ "Out Of Time". Spotify. Retrieved September 23, 2023.
- ^ Ingle, Alex (July 21, 2023). "Slayyyter has announced details of her second album – check out a new taster, 'Miss Belladonna'". Dork. Retrieved September 23, 2023.
- ^ Renshaw, David. "Slayyyter shares new song "Erotic Electronic," announces North American tour dates". The Fader.
- ^ "Slayyyter - I Love Hollywood! (Official Music Video)". Retrieved September 25, 2023 – via YouTube.
- ^ Millman, Ethan; Mier, Tomás (September 23, 2023). "The Killers Come Home, Yeah Yeah Yeahs Bring Magic on Life Is Beautiful Day One". Rolling Stone. Retrieved September 28, 2023.
- ^ Fabris, Andres (November 13, 2023). "Slayyyter Enlists Lolo Zouaï For New Single 'Makeup'". Music Daily. Retrieved November 28, 2023.
- ^ a b Chatterton, Caitlin (September 22, 2023). "Slayyyter: STARFUCKER review". The Line of Best Fit. Retrieved September 30, 2023.
- ^ "The best albums of 2023". PopBuzz. Retrieved December 2, 2023.
- ^ Moran, Justin. "PAPER's Favorite Albums of 2023". PAPER Magazine. Retrieved February 7, 2024.
- ^ DelMar, Courtney (January 30, 2024). "Girlsville Album Of The Year – Slayyyter "Starfucker (Deluxe)" (2023)". 50thirdandthird. Retrieved February 7, 2024.
- ^ Varma, Thejas (October 7, 2023). "Slayyyter's 'Starfucker' dives into the glamorous underworld of Hollywood". The Michigan Daily. Retrieved February 7, 2024.
- ^ "Top Dance/Electronic Albums: Week of October 14, 2023". Billboard. Archived from the original on October 17, 2023. Retrieved October 23, 2023.
- ^ Major, Michael. "Slayyyter Sets 'Club Valentine' Tour Dates". BroadwayWorld. Retrieved September 25, 2023.
- ^ Yates, Jonny (October 9, 2023). "Slayyyter announces UK and Ireland tour: dates, tickets and more". PinkNews. Retrieved December 2, 2023.
- ^ Major, Michael. "Slayyyter Releases 'Starf*cker (Deluxe)' With Three New Tracks". BroadwayWorld. Retrieved December 2, 2023.
External links
[edit]- slayyyter at slayyyter.com
- Starfucker at Discogs