Malcolm Todd, the newest man to join the indie-pop star scene, released his sophomore album “Malcolm Todd” in early April. The lead single from the album, “Chest Pain (I Love),” sparked a buzz on TikTok and contributed heavily to this highly anticipated release. The album blends indie, pop and R&B, amongst other genres, and has some impressive lyricism with extremely unique instrumentation.
The other singles from the album include “Bleed” featuring Omar Apollo and “Cheer Me On.” “Bleed” was another song that gained a lot of traction online, and Todd and Apollo sing about getting to know the real person they are singing about and showing that person’s true personality. The song repeats that, “I swear, you can take control / Control of how my heart bleeds / How my heart bleeds,” even though the song’s muse might not even know it.
“Cheer Me On” is a similar song to “Bleed,” in which Todd confesses that he lives for this person’s attention and praise. The pre-chorus says, “You need to know my name / You need to like my face / I’m living for your eyes / I’m not doing this for me.” Another interesting aspect of the song is where Todd says, “lying makes me sick,” yet one of his previous albums is entirely dedicated to how he has been lying.
The album opens with a track called “Harry Styles,” talking about how he feels about being in the music industry. He refers to himself in the third person, saying that he’s the “favorite fool,” and mentions how, “if I’m not a Harry Styles, they’re gonna put me on the shelf.”
From there, Todd has an array of pop songs that feel as if he is directly speaking to the listener, using vulnerable lyrics and emotional choruses.
The second track of the album, “Make Me a Better Man,” showcases this well. He seems to be singing as someone experiencing a somewhat unrequited love. He questions the one he’s singing to in the song, asking, “Why won’t you care,” and saying, “But you won’t miss me / You wouldn’t dare.” In the bridge, he gets extremely vulnerable with the listener, singing, “I ain’t never cried, but I’m getting closer than I’d like / You had my heart in your two hands and you let it go.”
“Florence” is another song in which Todd gets extremely vulnerable with the audience. He goes back and forth in the song, saying he just wanted to know the person he’s singing about, but knows that they can’t stay. He gets real about this back-and-forth, saying, “I loved you before I could even say it / And I’ll miss you before you walk away / (I’m) In deep, but I don’t know if I can chase it / I’ll miss you, but I know that you can’t stay.”
The last track of the album, “I’ll Come Back for You,” is a much softer and slower song than most of the other tracks on the album. Todd says over and over that he’ll come back for the person he’s singing about, despite the possibility of having to leave the person he was with so he wouldn’t hold them back.
Other highlights of the album include “Who’s the Fool,” “Doll,” “Lying,” “Walk to Class” and “Concrete.” They encompass a variety of subjects, ranging from choosing music over school to the pain of wondering if a school crush likes you back, being infatuated with someone and examining one’s own toxicity in a relationship.
If you’re looking for a more romantic (whether unrequited, failing, infatuated or crushing-type love) song, “Chest Pain (I Love),” “Doll,” “Bleed,” “Walk to Class,” “Florence,” “Cheer Me On” and “I’ll Come Back for You” might be your favorites out of the bunch. If you’re looking for some vulnerability and maybe a richer niche with an angsty vibe, “Make Me a Better Man,” “Who’s the Fool,” “Lying” and “Concrete” might be your picks. There are also a couple of interlude-type tracks, including “Harry Styles, “Good Job Malcolm” and “I Do.”
Malcolm is an extremely rare and unique artist. He mixes the many aspects of indie, pop and R&B flawlessly, doing it all while being extremely vulnerable about his experiences. If you are a fan of Wallows, Role Model, pop R&B or just want to listen to something new, I would give Malcolm Todd a try.