We’ve made it to Planet Her. There’s enough money to go around, and it’s an open and free paradise devoid of shame, guilt, or humiliation.
Planet Her, Doja Cat’s eagerly awaited third studio album, arrives just as the weather heats up and our beach playlists become a little thirsty. The pop queen has come with a great time to provide the bops, a mission with maybe bigger stakes than usual as she shakes off the phenomenal run that her previous album, 2019’s Hot Pink, had. That album appeared to provide viral hit after viral success, with songs like “Juicy,” “Say So,” and “Streets.” So, how’s her new record doing so far?
From the luxurious dream of “Adore To Dream” to “Ain’t Shit,” a song that displays the pop star’s troll spirit that we all know and love, here are the five must-listen tunes from Planet Her (excluding hits “Kiss Me More” and “Need To Know”).
1. YOUNG THUG’S “PAYDAY”
“Payday” is a very beautiful piece, beginning with a selected harp that sounds almost Shakespearean. The subject isn’t complex: Doja Cat is singing and rapping about money and being paid, but there’s also a gleam of starry-eyedness about it all.
2.” LOVE TO DREAM”
Doja croons about fantasizing about her possible mate over a downtempo groove underpinned by an electric guitar riff on “Love To Dream.”
3.”IT HAS BEEN LIKE THIS”
“Been Like This” is the only R&B-leaning track on Planet Her that has stayed in my brain after numerous plays. It’s a song about shifting expectations, or, to put it another way, what happens when you discover the person you’ve been dating is a grade-A jerk.
4. FT. J.I.D. “OPTIONS”
One of the most enjoyable features of Doja Cat’s songs is hearing the various ways in which the pop singer can manipulate her voice. Her delivery is part of the appeal: wicked or smooth, pouty or fierce. When she yells, “Damn Papa you a rare breed!” on “Streets,” it makes you want to scream along with your chest.
5.” IT AIN’T SHIT,” says the narrator.
Doja Cat is a multi-hyphenate superstar, and trolling is her most essential (and strongest!) ability. It’s why she can defuse any dispute; her understanding of how the internet operates gives her tremendous power. Doja lets the smooth R&B sound glide by while she roasts a loser into oblivion on “Ain’t Shit.”