By Nolan James
Arts & Culture Editor
My Agenda, the second full-length LP from hyperpop artist Dorian Electra, is an unabashedly queer record. It solidifies Electra’s place alongside the best of their peers in the genre such as Charli XCX, 100 Gecs and Sophie.
This 11 track, 25 minute record is consistently excellent. While some songs are more interesting than others, not one moment on this album feels dull or wasted. The primary problem with many of the songs is their short length. Many songs are simply too short, like Sorry Bro (I Love You), which is possibly the best song on the record despite its unfortunately small runtime.
The short length of the tracks does lend itself to the constantly shifting style and tone of this record. Sorry Bro (I Love You) is one of the more standard-sounding pop tracks. It is followed by the experimental metal-influenced Monk Mode (Interlude), which is a drastic change in style. This pattern prevents the album from feeling stale.
The last two songs on the album follow suit but in reverse. Ram It Down, another contender for best song, is a hyper-masculine guitar riff-heavy track mocking heterosexual men’s uncomfortable feelings toward the queer community. The title track, My Agenda, both refers to the advice gay individuals receive to shove their feelings away when they are in public as well as a self-explanatory sexual innuendo describing exactly what Electra mockingly believes these men should do with their throats.
The final track Give Great Thanks by comparison is a whimsical, softer song. It is also the most sexual song on an album which does not hold back its sexual content.
My Agenda describes incel culture in an unflattering manner, though there is no real direct story and Electra often strays from that theme to more directly address the LGBTQ+ community.
The lyricism is solid and often hilarious in the best possible way, but sometimes
is rather obvious and uninteresting. This is most noticeable in the song Edgelord, which is a solid song featuring Rebecca Black, who gives a great performance. Lyrically, it relies too heavily on cliches and fails to say anything interesting.
My Agenda’s greatest strength is its use of contrast and humor both in terms of lyrics and music. Whether it is the extreme ironic masculinity of Ram It Down or the soft and extraordinarily dirty Give Great Thanks, Electra consistently keeps their songs interesting. At times the album could be stronger lyrically or benefit from some expansion, but nonetheless it is one of the most interesting albums released this year so far, as well as a major release for the LGBTQ+ audience.
