Doja Cat's Scarlet II: Claude Frollo expands on last September's LP Scarlet with seven new tracks. Each new addition finds the Grammy winner leaning back on her usual antics, which makes for an underwhelming followup to what was previously an interesting entry to her catalog.
On the original release, songs like the dreamy "Agora Hills" and harsh "Demons" instantly caught listeners' attention. The stark contrast of sounds heard throughout the album made for an exciting result, as the artist bounced between loud, audacious rap songs to smooth R&B flavors, creating one engaging throughline.
Upon a complete listen to the deluxe effort, however, the seven new songs deflate the standard version's exciting edge, creating a tiresome listening experience that removes any impact it once had. Even with the addition of features from A$AP Rocky and Teezo Touchdown, Scarlet II can't quite capture what made the original so engaging.
Leading up to its official April 5 release, the deluxe album leaked online, resulting in the tracks illegally spreading on social media. While fans were rattled to find out that they were made available ahead of release, the security breach did not seem to bother the "Say So" songstress. Doja Cat assured her fans that listening to a leak before a song's official release won't make it better or worse, which is evident here. A leaked audio file downloaded from a Google Drive link circulating Twitter won't change her cringe-worthy lyrics like rhyming "Okay, loser" with "Okay, boomer."
The "MOOO!" singer has become synonymous with humorous lyrics of the sort, but it's when she takes on a song like Scarlet II's "MASC" that her skills as a hitmaker really shine, showing a more mature side that would resonate with a universal crowd. Used as the focus track of deluxe drop, "MASC" arrives with a new music video, in which Doja Cat is joined by Teezo Touchdown for a pleasing, yet unmemorable duet.
The deluxe record's opener, "ACKNOWLEDGE ME," starts the B-side out with a bang, cementing itself as the best of the new releases. It finds the singer confronting a neglectful partner, asserting herself by flawlessly layering her signature bars over a flowy R&B instrumental.
As she exclaims "Don't you ever in your life call me Doja Cat," the song fulfills the intention of the original Scarlet, spotlighting the artist as she attempts to strip herself from the public persona that has surrounded her throughout the early stages of her career. It lays out what could have been an exciting add-on to Scarlet, if only the six tracks that follow lived up to their predecessor.
Scarlet II comes to a head at its sixth track, "PISS," where its monotonous tone and lyrics become completely tired. As the penultimate song for the newly added B-side, the track completely stops any remaining momentum, making the final track, "HEADHIGH," somewhat dead on arrival. The finale of the deluxe tracks adds no excitement, making an unmemorable ending to an already dissatisfying offering.
As the songs roll on, they continuously echo a similar sound that does not add much excitement to the six-month-old LP. Instead of letting the album's message evolve, they meander around the same sounds without pushing the conversation forward. It's hard to say if more collaborations or a few less songs could have saved Scarlet II, but it is clear that Doja Cat's third album was better left as it was.
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