21-year-old Sky Ferreira has seen success since she first started putting up demos on her Myspace page in the earlier days of the Internet. Although it hasn’t been easy, and the success has come with years of work, all she needed was a chance to be herself and a simple, lush pop song.
A few demos that had her signed to Parlaphone records at the age of 15, She released the singles “17” “One’ and “Obsession.” The songs were her first step onto creating a platform into the music industry and she became a success with fans on the Internet.
From then on she was passed on from producer to producer,to make what would be her first full length LP. However, this debut was postponed followed by a release of an EP entitled “As If!”
Five years later, with an array of would-be-hits under her belt and many shelved ideas and albums, she sort of seemed to hit rock bottom.
It was time for Ferreira to really breakaway from the control of her label. She decided to write on her own and released an EP entitled “Ghost.”
For the record, she teamed up with producer Dev Hynes on the single “Everything is Embarrassing” which instantly became an Internet hit on music sites and making it on to Pitchfork’s best song of 2013.
The EP couldn’t have hinted farther than what was to come.
Its first release “You’re Not the Ine” was an electro clash of pure rock and pop with raw vocals from Sky.
On this record, Sky co wrote and produced with Ariel Rechtshaid. He’s become one of the “indie sphere’s” secret weapons. His work has glazed over some of the best pop records to come out in the last two years, including his work on Solange’s “True” EP, Charli XCX’s “True Romance,” Haim’s “Day Are Gone” and even Vampire Weekend’s “Vampires in the City.”
The thing about Ariel is that he never produces in a distinct “Rechsteid stamp” but merely transforms a record into a space where the artists can move completely freely through so that sounds and personal twinges shine through. It’s no wonder Ferreira teamed up with him.
After almost three different album titles and release date changes, Ferreira’s debut was released in October through Capitol Records.
The album is hard and littered with sheen glitz of synth and rock. It’s a pop record of pure hooks and personal lyrics that paint a picture of what it’s like to grow up wanting to be the world’s biggest pop star and making it through the claws of critiques and label executives and the very adult world of the music industry.
Surely there are pop stars who have felt what she sings on ” I Blame Myself” with lyrics like “How could you know what it feels like to fight the hounds of hell? You think you know me so well” and the lyrics on “Nobody Asked Me:” Everyday people tell me something that I already know, I tried to ask you but nobody asked me if I was okay.” Sky sings some things that are so honest and real and yet it still remains a very pop album.
Its catchy love songs hook you, like “24 hours” and “Heavy Metal Heart,” songs that deal with love and longing. Some of the other tracks will leave you singing its chorus in your head for days.
Fans of the “Ghost” EP will receive a pleasant and not as confusing surprise on the change of direction on this album. It’s not a slow and melodic trip into pop as “Everything is Embarrassing” but it’s Sky finally developing her own sound and moving forward with it.
“Night Time, My Time” is an emotionally raw pop album that is undoubtedly worth the five year wait for it’s release and thankfully one of the best records of 2013 to come out of a well deserved pop star.
