In an era of party nights gone wrong and escapism pop, Katy Perry stood out among the rest. Her 2010 blockbuster hits such as “Teenage Dream” defined what it meant to be young for a whole generation. Perry always had a handle on ingeniously campy lyrics and inventive production, but this got old fast and made her feel the need to resurrect her sound. “143” serves as the reinvention of Katy Perry by abandoning everything that worked for her early songs, resulting in a stale, messy and uninspired album.
Perry’s comeback has been prophesied since her electrifying performance at the 2015 Super Bowl Halftime Show launched her to the top of the pop world. However, shortly after her peak her work started to taper off. 2017’s “Witness” and 2020’s “Smile” were deemed failures when compared to her previous albums, including “One of the Boys” and “Teenage Dream.” Katy Perry’s level of success in the early 2010s doomed her to a bleak future of attempting to reestablish herself and desperately chasing a relevant, contemporary sound.
“143” gets off to a grim start with the song that caused feminists to call Perry a hypocrite, “WOMAN’S WORLD.” While catchy, the track’s lyrics are cliche and the delivery, particularly in the verses, is simply lacking a sense of enthusiasm. A sparse melodic structure forces the song to sound more like a parody than a true empowerment anthem. This was not at all strengthened by her producer on the song, Lukasz Gottwald (professionally known as Dr. Luke), who was involved in a public lawsuit battle with Kesha. In 2014, Kesha sued Dr. Luke and accused him of sexual assault and he countersued for defamation. Publicly releasing a track about female empowerment while working with an accused abuser is not exactly the way to score a positive reaction from pop music fans.
All the way through, the album reeks of Perry’s estrangement from the pop pantheon. On “GORGEOUS,” which features Kim Petras, Perry is the background star. The track doesn’t move fast enough to be catchy, but Petras’ inventive delivery can help at least save the bridge. The eventual chorus is what ultimately kills the track and reveals Perry as out of touch, with a line that may have worked a decade ago: “if you want the digits to my cellular.”
Sampling isn’t something Perry has often used to create a hit, but “I’M HIS, HE’S MINE” is saved by the sample of Crystal Waters’ “Gypsy Woman (La Da Dee)” from 1991. The album highlight, the track features up-and-coming rapper Doechii. It somehow feels the most modern even though it’s designed to be retro.
The same logic can’t save “GIMME GIMME,” featuring 21 SAVAGE. We hear more of 21 Savage’s personality than Perry’s. For a woman once dubbed the “Queen of Camp,” Perry has lost her touch at turning a pop track into a campy masterpiece. Nowhere is this more apparent than in “ARTIFICIAL,” where lines like “I’m just a prisoner in your prison” distract from Perry’s impressive vocal delivery. “ARTIFICIAL” features eight writers, none of whom make a huge impact. However, we can hear glimpses of the old Perry lingering across the whole record. “ALL THE LOVE” — with some minor changes — could’ve made a great, quintessential 2013 pop song.
But that’s just the problem: Perry hasn’t adjusted to a modern-day pop landscape. She should accept that she doesn’t have to. Perry has been public about her struggles following the commercial failure of “Witness” in 2017, showing how much she cared. And one thing an audience hates is a tryhard. Perry is very clearly trying to regain imperial status through different avenues like the piano house song “LIFETIMES.” She declares “I wanna know the truth / even if it hurt-hurts me” on “TRUTH,” and the truth is that her pop music days could be over.
“143” is a dance album that attempts to show off a new sound and a reinvented Katy Perry, an effort that is eerily similar to Beyonce’s very successful “RENAISSANCE.” Unfortunately, there’s no space between any of the tracks; each transitions directly into the next, allowing little time to breathe. What Perry could really benefit from is space. If Perry stops trying so hard to regain her status and returns to her campy roots, she may just be able to burn bright once again.
