be tormented by me, babe

It’s been a decade since our lord and savior Carly Rae Jepsen released E·MO·TION, only one of the best pop albums ever (and then the equally bangerlicious E·MO·TION Side B. Listen to “Roses” and just TRY to tell me it doesn’t destroy you). To mark the anniversary, she released 4 songs that didn’t make the cut. My current fave:

It never ceases to amaze me when a writer can put something into words that’s simultaneously specific and universal. The simplicity is pure artistry.

And it’s impossible to not compare the criminally underrated Carly with Taylor Swift, whose albums are each worse than the last. Taylor pens clunkers that are wordy, embarrassing, and unrelatable under the guise of being poetic, when she’s actually just a greedy, out-of-touch billionaire. (If your fans have to do mental gymnastics to justify your latest album’s quality, you’re doing it wrong.)

Meanwhile, Carly’s out there just doing her thing, unpretentious, unproblematic, showing instead of telling.

THIS is how you make a pop song.