Carly Rae Jepsen E•MO•TION Side B: LISTEN

Side B's predecessor, E•MO•TION, was released to critical fanfare but didn’t meet record sales expectations after Carly Rae’s infectious first single about piss poor flirting technique. However, as The Get Down reminded you all, gays control the dance charts and over the course of a year (and a few circuit parties with Madam) they ate up E•MO•TION, cementing it as requisite pop in baby queer starter packs.

This lil' collection holds its own in terms of production with plenty of neon 80s synth and driving bass beats that’ll make you wanna bounce on your toes for a few hours. I even detected some old school woodblock, which triggered some severe Whitney vibes. "First Time" and "Higher" are probably the stand outs since they’re the most uptempo and the lyrics are NutraSweet compared to the cane sugar on what follows. It's too bad they're at the top of the album because the energy falls fast. 

The track I guarantee 73 comedy drag queens across North America are currently rehearsing is "Store". It’s the most Canadian song I’ve ever heard in my life — all about avoiding conflict and breaking up by going to the store. I wish I had this when my ex-husband Jeffrey walked to “the store” in ’94. Would’ve made the whole situation a lot more peachy.

The biggest missed opportunity was not including any searing sax solos like the on on E•MO•TION’s "Run Away With Me", but otherwise this is great music for one last kick at summer’s proverbial sweet can.