Troye Sivan's 'Bloom': the tracks you need to hear

Troye Sivan has come a long way since his YouTuber days.

From his debut EP Dare to Dream (2007), which he produced independently alongside his YouTube videos, to the full-length immersive masterpiece Blue Neighbourhood (2015) and now the recently released Bloom (2018), the South African-born, Australian-raised star is definitely blossoming.

Becoming increasingly popular in the UK, you might have been jamming out in the club to his hit EDM collaboration with Martin Garrix, 'There for You' (2017), which took radios by storm when it entered the UK top 40. As this was my first time hearing Troye on UK radio, I knew that it marked a massive development in his career.

Bloom, Troye's second studio album, reflects his growing maturity and offers a slightly more polished sound than Blue Neighbourhood. One thing that Troye and his producers are great at is cohesion, so it feels somewhat sacrilegious to cherry-pick, but nevertheless, there are a few tracks that I found to be key to my experience of the album.

Dance to This (featuring Ariana Grande)

Fans of Ariana Grande might have come across the pair's chilled-out yet catchy bop 'Dance To This', which has an equally cool music video that encourages a lot of dancing - of all kinds, no matter how ridiculous you look. The seemingly imperative title of the song definitely doesn't help when you're desperately attempting to cling to your seat.

'Dance To This' is one of those tunes that feels like it belongs on the soundtrack to your life and totally makes you feel like the star of a music video when you're walking down the street whilst listening to it. You might want to keep the swaying to a minimum though; no-one else knows what you're listening to.

What A Heavenly Way To Die

If you're looking for something calming that won't result in the urge to bust a move whilst out in public, try 'What A Heavenly Way To Die'. This romantic ballad is nowhere near as morbid as it sounds, its lilting repetitions composing a kind of lullaby. As Troye sings about 'Getting tired from the sun', you'll find yourself becoming equally relaxed, even if there's no sun in sight.

If you can find your way to somewhere outdoors at sunset when you listen to it, you'll create an experience that you won't forget.

Bloom

The title track of the album, it certainly lives up to expectations. Upbeat and with a build-up that feels something like excitement, 'Bloom' is the love song. The extended metaphor is of the body as a garden and has been revealed as having sexual undertones, but I'll leave that for you to analyse. Come on Arts students - you should be used to it by now.

'Bloom' has also been described as a gay anthem and sees Troye celebrating every aspect of his sexuality. The song and its accompanying music video are bound to make you feel free to express yourself in whatever manner you want. Watch the music video for some awesomely artistic inspiration.

The Good Side

Another ballad, 'The Good Side' is the polar opposite of 'What A Heavenly Way To Die' in terms of subject matter. Instead of being about falling in love, it's about falling out of it, although Troye's take on break-ups is a refreshing change to what we usually hear from popular music.

The chorus is an apology for the better end of the deal that he got as compared to his ex-partner and is difficult to get through without tearing up. Then, just when you think that you've gotten over it and can enjoy the rest of the song free from emotional turmoil, you meet the bridge...but I'm not going to talk about that here because I want you to experience that gut punch for yourself.

My My My!

In a similar vein to 'Bloom', 'My My My!' is a celebration of the liberation that love can give you. I'm always a fan of songs like these because of their ability to cheer me up and give me hope when I'm just not feeling it. Music can have such emotional power, so why not take advantage of that and cure your mood with an up-tempo track. I don't know about you, but the opening line, 'Shine on diamond' is sometimes just a bit of tough love that I need to pick me up.

The music video being plied with a multitude of flashing lights and colours that are visually representative of its mood, 'My My My!' plugs itself as the perfect party-piece, whether out and about with friends or alone in your room. If you're somewhere where it's socially acceptable to burst out in song and dance, then there's no reason not to go wild!

These are my top five songs from Troye Sivan's new album Bloom. Not because I think they're better than the rest, but because they're the ones that stand out the most in my mind. If you've already listened to the album, tell me which songs do that for you and if you haven't, please give it a listen and get back to me!

Featured image: JStone / Shutterstock.com