Katy Perry’s New Album “143” Misses the Mark

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Katy Perry’s latest album, 143, is meant to evoke feelings of love, with the title representing the number of letters in “I love you.”

However, the album feels more like “144”—“I made mush.” Perry’s first full-length project since 2020’s Smile falls flat, offering an 11-track collection dominated by heavy electronic beats and uninspired lyrics, lacking the charm and personality that once defined her work.

The album’s rollout was rocky from the start. Perry faced backlash for collaborating with controversial producer Dr. Luke, and her music video for Woman’s World was met with criticism for its confusing attempt at satire. To add to the troubles, her video shoot for Lifetimes on a Spanish beach sparked an investigation into potential environmental damage.

Musically, 143 doesn’t deliver much beyond mediocrity. The first three singles—Woman’s World, Lifetimes, and I’m His, He’s Mine (featuring Doechii)—fall short of expectations. Woman’s World offers an attempt at an arena-pop anthem with a Lady Gaga flavor, while Lifetimes feels like a recycled Calvin Harris track from the 2010s. Meanwhile, I’m His, He’s Mine lazily samples Crystal Waters’ 1991 hit Gypsy Woman (She’s Homeless), lacking originality or punch.

Tracks like Gimme Gimme, featuring 21 Savage, attempt to bring some edge but come across more as simplistic nursery rhymes, particularly with lyrics such as “Say the right thing, maybe you can be/Crawling on me, like a centipede.” The collaboration with Kim Petras on Gorgeous is marred by odd production choices, including a persistent squeaky toy sound that detracts from the song’s message of empowerment.

One of the few redeeming moments comes with Crush, which, while decent, is built on repetitive synths reminiscent of ’90s European disco tracks. Unfortunately, many of the tracks produced by Dr. Luke, including All the Love, feature similarly unsophisticated production and repetitive lyrics. In All the Love, the phrase “back to me” is repeated 23 times in just over three minutes, highlighting the lack of lyrical depth throughout the album.

Truth includes a line that perhaps sums up the entire album: “My intuition’s telling me things ain’t right.” Perry tries to incorporate a fake voicemail at the end of the song, a technique used more authentically by other artists. Here, it feels forced and lacks the emotional resonance found in more genuine uses of personal recordings.

Perry’s reliance on large songwriting teams is taken to an extreme on 143, with tracks like Nirvana credited to 12 writers—yet the result feels like a tired club track from the ’90s. The album closes with Wonder, a sugary-sweet ballad that awkwardly contrasts with the rest of the album, making a plea for innocence while attempting to tug at the heartstrings of her audience, particularly moms, as it references her daughter, Daisy.

Ultimately, 143 feels hollow, offering little substance or connection. While it tries to say “I love you,” it instead leaves listeners feeling indifferent, with an album that’s more about numbers than emotion.

Source: AP