Selena Gomez’s “I Said I Love You First” begins a new chapter in her music evolution, featuring light production which is meant to be deeply personal, but despite this, it feels almost empty through its surface-level pop love songs.
Gomez’s musical journey has been marked by experimentation, receiving relatively high scores from critics on her albums “Revival” and “Rare,” but this latest offering feels more like a passive take on the mainstream trends than a real hit.
She has said that she considers herself more of an actress these days, with the occasional music release or feature, making “I Said I Love You First” feel like a closing chapter in her pop career.
One of the most interesting aspects is the exploration of past relationships, most notably in tracks like “Younger and Hotter Than Me” and “Don’t Wanna Cry.”
Musically, the album takes inspiration from various styles of music, with Gomez both being able to acknowledge her latin roots and dipping into the sad girl pop of Lana Del Rey.
“Ojos Tristes,” made with The Marías, borrows heavily from “El Muchacho de los Ojos Tristes” but doesn’t necessarily bring much new to the song. “Bluest Flame” is co-written with Charli XCX, continuing on the trend of brat summer, but feels weighed down by the overproduction.
The album does have some strong songs, though. “Call Me When You Break Up,” featuring Gracie Abrams, is a fun pop song even with Abrams slightly outshining Gomez.
“How Does It Feel to Be Forgotten” has gone viral on TikTok, and if you’re able to get through the beginning of the album, “Scared of Loving You” featuring FINNEAS, brings emotional depth to the album.
With the album having a runtime of 35 minutes, “I Said I Love You First” feels short, and each song averages about two minutes in length, so the songs toward the beginning of the tracklist blended together and failed to leave a lasting impression.
Ultimately, “I Said I Love You First” is, as always with Benny Blanco’s work, strongly produced and has a couple of enjoyable moments, but the features leave it to struggle to establish a clear identity of its own.
I would give it around a 6/10, based off of the entire project feeling well-crafted but mostly forgettable.