With a title that almost says it all,
I'M DOING IT AGAIN BABY! is the sophomore album from candid pop profess-er
Marie Ulven, better known as
girl in red. Having wrestled with inner demons as well as objects of affection on songs with titles like "Serotonin" and "Hornylovesickmess" on her internationally charting debut (2021's
if i could make it go quiet), she sought professional treatment before returning to the studio with an upgraded outlook and newfound confidence. Meanwhile, stylistically, the Norwegian turns up the volume and surprises by touching on a multitude of genres within a main current of mostly celebratory alt-pop and dance-rock. For instance, after the musical exposition "I'm Back" details her mental-health rebound, the almost-title track "DOING IT AGAIN BABY" champions a sleek, strutting dance-rock. After offering sentiments like "I'm on a new level/Something's got me feeling like I might be inflammable" and "I'm loving this new self-esteem," the song delivers a bass-underscored banjo break à la
Rednex that signals an uprooting of expectations. Later, she gets funkier on "Ugly Side," a song that regrets behaving her worst to those she cares about most, and closer "¿¿¿¿¿ (5 Stars)" embraces electro dance tropes for its rapid-fire lyrics about the music industry ("You gotta be delusional to be in the biz"). The majority of
I'M DOING IT AGAIN BABY!, though, gets things sorted with catchy pop affirmations about not toning herself down for others anymore ("Too Much"), recognizing flaws in others ("Phantom Pain"), and not having to go out and party to have fun ("A Night to Remember").
Sabrina Carpenter makes the album's one guest appearance on "You Need Me Now?," a kiss-off to a past partner. The album was produced by
if i could make it go quiet's
Matias Tellez (
AURORA,
Gracie Abrams), whose colorful, high-contrast approach bolsters the lyrical frankness of the onetime bedroom pop artist, who, true to her origins, keeps the ten-song set's playing time under 30 minutes. ~ Marcy Donelson
