Katy Perry Witness
Katy Perry has never been above pandering to her audience, from her aborted Christian-rock career as a teen to her lightly homophobic early hits “Ur So Gay” and “I Kissed a Girl” to her movie-trailer-friendly empowerment anthems like “Firework” and “Roar.” So it’s really no surprise that Perry has been touting her fifth album, Witness, as “purposeful pop,” given the prevalence of political activism in current pop culture. In practice, though, Witness is barely more politically aware than a Facebook post, mostly continuing Perry’s tradition of anonymous pop.
Perry can be good at anonymous pop, but Witness is short on memorable hooks and danceable beats, despite the typical army of writer-producers. “Chained to the Rhythm” and “Power” preach social awareness, while “Bon Appétit” is full of sexual innuendo, but they’re all equally shameless. Perry covers all her bases, but she sounds just as disengaged whether she’s singing about cutting loose in the club or taking control of her political destiny. “Life’s a pendulum/It all comes back around,” she sings on “Pendulum,” the album’s catchiest and most purely enjoyable song; her pendulum is sure to swing back to whatever’s popular next time around.
