The debut album from TikToker-turned-actor-and-pop-star Addison Rae, 2025's Addison is a surprisingly savvy, club-ready introduction. Albums by crossover stars like Rae are often dubious affairs, less-than-inspired productions that can feel like an attempt to package someone to fit a preconceived image, rather than showcase actual talent. Thankfully, she impressively sidesteps any such pitfalls. Much of this is due to her production team, Swedish studio wizards Elvira Anderfjärd (Tove Lo, Au/Ra) and Luka Kloser (Tate McRae, Conan Grey). Together, they frame Rae's baby-soft coo of a voice in dreamy, sonically textured, '90s house-style arrangements that deftly balance sugary pop hooks and a tongue-in-cheek playfulness. Cuts like "Diet Pepsi," "Money Is Everything," and "Aquamarine" are day-glo dance bangers that present the singer as a kind of thinly veiled jet-setting-club-kid version of herself. While lyrics like "I don't need your drugs/I'd rather get, rather get high fashion" from "High Fashion" aren't exactly Ira Gershwin-level turns of phrase, Rae is more than game to play along, and her delivery elicits a giddy pop euphoria as the record moves along. Similarly, tracks like the clipped electro-groove of "Fame Is a Gun" and the kaleidoscopic new-age soundscape of "Summer Forever" keep you hooked and wondering, "Is this art?" That the album also brings to mind a heady mash-up of Ray of Light-era Madonna and the chibi future psychedelia of Grimes speaks to the inspired creativity at work between Rae and her team. New York 2:32Diet Pepsi 2:50Money is Everything 2:03Aquamarine 2:43Lost & Found 0:48High Fashion 3:18Summer Forever 3:48In The Rain 3:34Fame is a Gun 3:03Times Like These 3:53Life's No Fun Through Clear Waters 0:57Headphones On 4:00
