Amelia Raczynska
On July 29th 2022, the world stopped once again as Beyoncé released her 7th solo album Renaissance. Over the last week and a half, Renaissance has not avoided scandal and controversy, but this has failed to dampen the audacious, celebratory spirit of the music itself. Whether it be through proclamations of self-love or calls for communities to step into their joy, Beyoncé has created Renaissance as a sonic safe space for unhinged self-expression.
The Pandemic Experience
Renaissance joins an abundance of albums and singles inspired by and reflecting the pandemic experience and all the emotions that it induced; the desire to be together as well as the determination to never take our liberties for granted again.
Yet something about this album does feel different.
“the sound, style and theme of Renaissance are entirely different”
Beyoncé chose to honour the pandemic experience with an album inspired by dance and all its subgenres, intended to take us straight back to the club. The sound, style and themes of Renaissance are entirely different, with a notable abandonment of the narrative style of Lemonade.
Additionally, in contrast with Lemonade, Beyoncé side-lined her preferred surprise drop in favour of a huge promotional rollout, including the release of a single and giving plenty of notice for the rest of the album.
Expressing Individuality
The opening track I’M THAT GIRL teases concepts that will be fleshed out throughout the album, with lyrics touching on Beyoncé’s awareness of her own greatness: “you know all these songs sound good cause I’m on that ho.” She explores the themes of love, sex, feeling high and a mention of the perception of her un-Americanness.
“nods are made towards the LGBTQ+ community, as Beyoncé weaves the colours of the Progress Pride flag into her lyrics”
The self-appreciation continues on the following tracks COZY and ALIEN SUPERSTAR which again drive a message of embracing your individuality. On COZY, nods are made towards the LGBTQ+ community, as Beyoncé weaves the colours of the Progress Pride flag into her lyrics.
The tribute to the community extends to the selection of the producers of the tracks, with the likes of iconic transgender DJ and Producer Honey Dijon being enlisted on both tracks.
Dedication To Dance
The dedication to dance is evident in the next few tracks, both in terms of sound and structure. The track CUFF IT is a true ode to late 70s disco and the continuation of the bass line allows the track ENERGY to seamlessly follow. The track serves as a transitional moment before handing over uninterruptedly to the album’s single BREAK MY SOUL. The essence of the album is unpacked in this song, as Beyoncé encourages fans to quit their jobs and embrace freedom. Like BREAK MY SOUL, the following track CHURCH GIRL relies heavily on sampling, fusing gospel group the Clark Sisters’ Center of Thy Will with bounce music.
The string of heavily sampled tracks is cut short by the significantly calmer PLASTIC OFF THE SOFA which sees Beyoncé devising the song herself, drawing on precious moments from her own marriage. The pace is quickly regained on VIRGO’S GROOVE which continues the earlier disco sounds for a joyous 6 minutes containing sparkling vocals as the song draws to a close.
“serves as an anthem for body positivity”
The next few tracks feel considerably more modern. The track MOVE sees Beyoncé draw on her previous Afrobeat influences, this time with features from Grace Jones and Nigerian singer Tems (my one wish was that Tems’ feature was more prominent.). The intensity is continued in the track HEATED where the chaos of the last 1 minute and 40 seconds makes this one of my personal favourites. The next track THIQUE contains more hip hop and with its shading of diet culture (“she say she on a diet, girl, you better not lose that ass though”) serves as an anthem for body positivity.
The contemporary style continues on ALL UP IN YOUR MIND and AMERICA HAS A PROBLEM, the latter of which is far from the political commentary many fans were expecting but is irresistibly catchy nonetheless.
Disco Influence
“The album…takes a final bow to the disco influence”
Towards the end of the album, the dance elements return with a homage to ballroom laced throughout the track PURE/HONEY. The album rounds itself off perfectly on the track SUMMER RENAISSANCE with the titling honouring Donna Summer, whose I Feel Love is sampled here. The track embodies all the concepts the album has explored and takes a final bow to the disco influence.
Whilst many of us are still enjoying the music, my thoughts are turning to what’s next. When is the tour? Are we getting all acts first? When will the confirmed visual album drop? As per usual with Beyoncé, we never really know what’s around the corner…
Image courtesy of UHD Cover via Flickr. Image licence found here. No changes were made to this image
