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01. Witness - 7/10
I like the lyrics, but I feel that the song should have had a more danceable beat. It feels too understated to be the title track.
02. Hey Hey Hey - 8/10
A pretty catchy and sassy track. I like the playfulness of this. And I feel like it's a good album-only track.
03. Roulette - 6/10
So, this track is pretty forgettable. I'm not at all excited by this. The theme and lyrics are still continuing the trend of being extremely well written, but it's just very much a filler.
04. Swish Swish - 9/10
Within the context of this album, this track fits so much better. It actually makes me appreciate this song more than I did prior to hearing the first three tracks. I feel like this gave me a great example of what to expect on the album without giving it all away.
05. Deja Vu - 8/10
This is a cruising song. I get the vibe of driving around the city late at night. I like the theme. It's still a good album-only track. I haven't yet heard anything other than Swish Swish as single potential. I'm also very glad this song is not dragged out beyond the 3:18.
06. Power - 7/10
The style is nice, but the actual track just isn't that catchy or memorable for me. I almost feel like this is sending the "mid-album" signal. Continuing this strong self-image theme.
07. Mind Maze - 3/10
Jesus Christ. Autotune: The Musical. It's like a feature commercial for the new version of Autotune. :\ This is cutting room floor material. Like they had the idea for the beat but never actually got beyond just doing something with it to start generating an idea for the full song.
08. Miss You More - 10/10
This is single potential. Probably one of the most poignant and perfectly written songs. Amazing production mixed with extremely good vocals. My only potential alteration would be adding a full choir to the final chorus.
09. Chained To The Rhythm - 10/10
Like Swish Swish, this song sounds so much better in context with the album. It is, however, thematically disconnected from everything that's been on the album up to this point. This is a very observation-style song, while the rest have all been extremely self-focused and self-image-based. One major problem for me was the transition from Miss You More to this track is too jarring. Miss You More is this very solemn ballad, and this is a very reggae-inspired upbeat track about being a mindless consumer. I think there should have been a track between these two. (I would have moved Roulette here, since it seems to drag the album too much at the beginning, but would actually come off a bit fresher after hearing Miss You More.)
10. Tsunami - 4/10
Like Roulette and Mind Maze, this is a song I would have pulled from the final album. I would have kept Roulette as a step-stone track between Miss You More and Chained To The Rhythm, but this is so vaporwave and just breaks so much of the flow of the album. I can't say it's a jarring break, but it's enough of a disappointing track that I would have pulled it from the final tracklist. My low score is really owed to being sick of this being the third song like this.
11. Bon Appetit - 9/10
Nothing really to say about this that hasn't already been said. Bon Appetit, baby! I like that this is a break from the very empowerment-centered songs. In some small way, I wish this and CTTR were not toward the end of the album. They would be a nice break from the tracks earlier in the record. For the first time in a long time, I think Migos are actually essential to this track. I think Katy's features are appropriate. If you do a feature, the song shouldn't sound better without the guest artist. And I feel both Bon Appetit and Swish Swish would lose a lot of interest if Migos and Nicki Minaj were taken off the tracks.
12. Bigger Than Me - 7/10
This track starts off deceptively energetic. So, the dip in score is because it really lets that down. I do like the theme of constantly pushing for self-improvement. This is the first song I've felt is too long. If there was going to be no third bridge, I would have just cut the last chorus and ended the song at 3 minutes.
13. Save As Draft - 9/10
This doesn't have the same punch as Miss You More, but it's a decently written track about moving forward from love. The best part about these two ballads is that they are not average love songs. I love that she thought about these and didn't just write the same old "i miss you" songs. She did with the chorus on this song what I wanted her to do with Miss You More. There's more power there to finish this off with a bang. I love it.
14. Pendulum - 0/10
I'm not even rating this piece of shit. The clip that's been shared online makes this track sound like a Sia-style banger like Chandelier/The Greatest/Unstoppable. And THIS is what she turned it into...?! What a complete fucking disappointment.
15. Into Me You See - 2/10
Again, this track has been generally hyped to be more impressive than it actually turned out to be. I can't stop busting out in laughter when she sings "You broke me wide open... Open Sesame". Who has EVER used "open sesame" in some heartfelt, serious way? What a poor choice for lyric.
OVERALL - 6.6/10
HIGHLIGHTS - Hey Hey Hey, Swish Swish, Miss You More, Chained To The Rhythm, Bon Appetit, Save As Draft
DELETE NOW - Mind Maze, Tsunami, Pendulum, Into Me You See
I'm surprised I rated this album so low, but the score speaks for itself. My favorite song, and the most memorable one, is Miss You More. The last two songs absolutely did not need to be on this album. They are both a sheer letdown in terms of Katy Perry's entire career. Pendulum itself is the biggest disappointment, so much so that I can't even rate it. If I could take additional points, I would. The clip revealed to all of us did not - in any way - allude to the song turning out the way it did. I anticipated something very Sia, and we got something I'd barely consider for a b-side.
I still think this album will grow on me over time. However, I can't forgive Pendulum and Into Me You See. Those were both set up to be something more than they clearly turned out to be.
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