YouTuber turned Popstar, Troye Sivan’s latest single from his upcoming EP is dedicated to himself, and his ‘pilot light’…
In a recent Instagram post and TikTok video, Sivan detailed how Rager teenager! is a letter to a part of himself he forgot existed – the fire within himself. The fire that turns up when you’re feeling lost and surprises you with your ‘resilience and strength and guidance’. The song feels like a love letter to a past self – “Hey, my little rager teenager, I’ve missed you around” – and a hopeful lust to return to the wild euphoria of his youth – “I just wanna go wild, I just wanna do some s**t just to try”.
The single, and the two others released from the In A Dream EP, follow in the electronic pop of Sivan’s previous records, but Rager teenager! feels different. This song almost feels like an anthem to liberation. Along with some top-notch production by Oscar Görres, Sivan’s writing feels the freest it’s been since his 2014 song Fun. In fact, Rager teenager! almost seems like the older brother of the 2014 song. Fun touches on having fun riding around town in an old jeep, and Rager teenager! sees the singer longing to go wild and just ride in a car.
All in all, Rager teenager! feels like Sivan at his best, as have the previous In A Dream singles. As the production amps up around the first pre-chorus of the song, you feel yourself sucked into the nostalgic desire to ‘go wild, sing loud, and lose yourself in a crowd’. Sivan’s vocals feel dreamy, almost to a seductive point. By the time you reach the anthemic and electronic instrumental outro to the song, you find yourself wanting to join the South African/Australian singer in his desires to return to that youthful angst of going wild.
Troye Sivan’s EP In a Dream is available to buy and stream on 21 August. Until then, I urge you to lose yourself in the three singles he has released. Each one hits the mark.
Rating: 8/10
By Robbie Nichols
Feature Image Credit: Universal Music Australia