Lovato has spent the last few years playing around with different genres. For instance, in 2021, she had a go at wearing the soulfully soft, Lana Del Rey-esque hat of moody blues, when producing ‘Dancing With The Devil…The Art of Starting Over’. Then in 2022, she made a complete out-of-character foray into Avril Lavigne-esque Punk-Rock, with the album ‘Holy Fvck’.
Of course, Lovato isn’t the first and certainly won’t be the last Artist to break free from the confines of the ‘pop-star’ label and set off on a voyage of ‘genre-bending’ and experimentation. However, what’s exciting is that after trying on many different hats, Lovato has well and truly gone back to her pop roots!
Now, it’s also important to note that this recent period of experimentation was not ill-fated - Lovato still maintained a strong fan base and received critical acclaim. However, after some time out of the spotlight and some quiet self-reflection, she has clearly had a yearning to return to where it all began — a place of pure, trad pop. After all, it’s a place where she is at her best!
‘It’s Not That Deep’, opens with the synth-fuelled dance track, ‘Fast’. It is catchy but still versatile dance-pop: you can dance to it, sing it in the shower, or blast it on a long walk. Lyrics like “I wanna go anywhere, anywhere you are / No matter how close, no matter how far” are easy to digest (and easy to remember). It isn’t necessarily a complex, thought-provoking track, but it is fun and very much sets the tone of the rest of the album — reminding you it’s never that deep.
Next up are ‘Here All Night’ and ‘Frequency’. Both are fast, high-energy tracks. Interestingly, both songs also reflect the contemporary pop moment. They share some real parallels with Charli XCX’s ‘Brat’, particularly their persistent use of distorted bass sounds and the use of clever, laser sharp synth hooks that sit all over both tracks. Thus, perhaps being an indicator that Lovato’s period of musical experimentation isn’t quite over just yet!
Then, Lovato slows it down with the next two tracks: ‘Let You Go’ and ‘Sorry To Myself’. Eagle-eyed fans will notice that the latter is a nod to Lovato’s somber 2018 single, ‘Sober’, documenting her well-publicised drug relapse. Thus, allowing her to show off her recent growth and personal progression whilst facing up to her past mistakes.
Both tracks take their time but still have quite upbeat tempos, making them not ballads as such, just more reflective than the first three opening tracks. Thus, giving Lovato space to play with and flesh out more emotionally charged lyrics such as: “And it kills me / Knowing what it was and what it will be / Maybe we'll be better as a memory” and “I could point fingers at everyone else / But sooner or later, it lands on myself”, respectively.
‘In My Head’ is the next BIG track on the album. It’s fun but reflective in equal measure. It allowed Lovato to show off her fantastic belty vocal — reminding us all of her impressive range. This was a somewhat mature revamping of her 2015 song of the summer, ‘Cool for the Summer’ but was still an absolute pleasure to listen to, in all its camp pop glory!
‘It’s Not That Deep’ doesn’t finish in the same way it begins. It ends on a more intimate note with the beautifully crafted ‘Ghost’. Powerful lyrics like: “I have a tendency to dwell on all the darkest possibilities / No guarantee that we'll wake up together when we fall asleep”, remind you of the battles and challenges Lovato has faced to get here today.
‘Ghost’ reminds you that behind all of the sequins, sass, and dance-pop beat,s this album is a product of Lovato’s survival. She may have been the OG Brat and Man’s Best Friend long before Sabrina Carpenter ever was, but Lovato has had to work long and hard to be able to bounce back with this amount of bops.
In short, Demi Lovato has remembered it's never that deep, which has given her space to beautifully mature and return to the music she loves making the most. Allowing her (and us) to have more fun than ever before.
Bravo Lovato!
Cory Gourley
Image: ‘It’s Not That Deep’ Official Album Cover
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