Troye Sivan released his new single “The Good Side” on January 18th, hinting at more of what his new album might have in store for us. The ballad showcases new music aspects that Sivan hasn’t used in the past. “The Good Side” includes different acoustic instruments, such as guitar and piano, that sets the groundwork for his new sound.
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With the implementation of acoustic instruments, Sivan dives into a more folk-inspired sound, which mixes very well with the variety of synths throughout the piece. During the brief build ups, all of these aspects collide to form powerful moments that flow well with the minimalism of Sivan’s passionate verses and choruses. These bursts of musical energy boost the reminiscent and apologetic tones that the song captures.
Synths and different types of auto-tuning were also used and mixed well into the track, taking center stage during the intro, outro, and larger moments. During the verses and chorus, they toned down, flowed smoothly in the background, and emphasized his lyrics. With all of this happening so cohesively, “The Good Side” puts off a beautiful and some what dream-like feeling that will hopefully continue throughout the new album.
Lyrically, the song touches on Sivan’s break up, and how he regrets letting his music industry success affect his relationship. This was a large topic last year in music, with the release of Lorde’s Melodrama, which was about the end of the singers relationship for seeming similar circumstances to that of Troye.
In “The Good Side,” Sivan understands that he has the better side of this break up. In an interview with Zane Lowe on Beats 1, Sivan said, “And I happened to be on the good side of things — I got to go on tour, I got to go and see the world, I had this very therapeutic experience of singing songs about that breakup and watching people sing them back to me, and I met someone new fairly soon afterwards.” There’s a sense of maturity in the lyrics as well. Sivan apologizes and feels sympathetic towards his ex, and hopes that everything turns out better in the end.
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“The Good Side” also shows Sivan’s growth as an artist. His vocal and songwriting abilities have taken large steps forward from his last projects and it will be interesting to see if that continues with the upcoming album. It’s also exciting to see Sivan experimenting with new sounds and genres, and how he incorporates these sounds with the OG pop sound we’re accustomed to hearing from him. The new album doesn’t have a title or release date as of yet. However, we should be expecting it’s release soon. With these new folk sounds, a new wave of fans may come for Troye Sivan, myself included.
