Nobody came close to Katy Perry’s musical popularity in the early 2010s. This album, Katy Perry’s third album, was released back in August 2010 and was an instant commercial and international success. The album sold and streamed very well (in the millions), not to mention as well giving Katy Perry some significant musical awards for the music within. The songs on this album became a legendary part of the early 2010s and paved the way for the EDM-based Pop Music of the time, which was essentially feel-good party Pop Music for the masses. The millennial era had come of age with this album release’s popularity and the audience that it was intended for. This was Katy Perry’s moment in a musical nutshell. Although this album itself received rather mixed reviews, this primarily shifted after the album became successful. It would be foolish to ignore this album, so let’s take a listen to this popular release by Katy Perry and we shall hear if it still stacks up to be good today.

Teenage Dream begins with muted electric guitar parts and launches right into a song with Katy Perry singing nicely here. This has some straightforward beats and textures to match. One can hear the excitement and gloriousness throughout. Once the chorus hits, one warps way back to the 2010s and can vividly hear the influences and the musicality of the era in this song. Katy Perry sings well here, and this tune is for the teenagers of the time who wanted to live life to the fullest. This song was also a #1 hit single globally. Although the simplicity and style of the music may be a sellout (of which it is), this is a legendary song that is perfect for when you first get your driver’s licence and go on your first serious road trip with friends. Excellent song by Katy Perry.

Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F.) is another strong cut from the start, with melodic guitar parts, and electronic beats and quickly launches into a fantastic listening experience that sounds euphoric and different throughout. This is the sort of feminine party EDM Music mixed into a Pop Music structure that was very popular at the time. The simplicity and commercial nature of the music are noticeable, but all the same, this is a cleverly and nicely constructed tune throughout. An excellent and interesting listening experience, this sounds very catchy and surprisingly loveable, even if this Pop Music is not really something you would typically get into. Some chanting in the second half is present, before a squealing and electronically edited saxophone solo enters, before this catchy chorus returns. A really great piece of music and digitally crafted Pop Music. The ending is good, with some digitally modified vocals, followed by cheering and clapping.

California Gurls features legendary Rapper Snoop Dogg. The song title also loosely refers to transvestites. It begins with soft electronic sounds, and Snoop Dogg introduces the song before Katy Perry launches into a fantastic song about California itself. This sounds very good, to this day. Soon enough, the chorus hits and this song is an instant classic. Katy Perry sings very well about the state of California in the USA. Indeed, California is one of the most legendary places in the Western world, just as much as other places internationally e.g. London or Beijing. This song is designed to be played on repeat and showcases the feminine Katy Perry and Snoop Dogg’s ability to crossover into the Pop scene at any time. A really cool and interesting piece of dance Pop. Catchy and extremely memorable throughout, this is a Pop gem. The outro has Snoop Dogg Rapping and robotic vocals to finish up. Great.

Firework is another famous Pop Music piece. It begins with looped electronic melodies and enters into a deep and emotional listening experience. This is a song of reassurance for those who ever feel down and lost about themselves and who they are. The bridge has a gorgeous string section, just as Katy Perry launches into a fantastic and iconic chorus that is really excellent and enjoyable to listen to. We go back in time to 2010 here, and Katy Perry is our star lighting the way ahead. A timeless and enjoyable tune that one should hear if one feels upset or emotional about life. A really fantastic listen that is definitely worth listening to, and a top tune. The second half is particularly emotional. Katy Perry’s singing is excellent in this song, and the backing music is joyous and wonderful to hear. A great and essential Pop song to listen to.

Peacock is a weird song from the start. It’s a sexual piece throughout, which is obvious from the start. This is Katy Perry sounding like Gwen Stefani, with little attention paid to that. This isn’t a hit, but it is a fairly enjoyable song to hear. In any case, this is Katy Perry’s answer to Rihanna’s Rude Boy, but in a less qualitative way. If you aren’t into cheesy Pop Music, you may desire to skip this tune. Even so, this is not as bad as you would think. Katy Perry sings well for a 21st Century Popstar, and she has a recognisable yet strong voice (although it is digitized and likely drenched in autotune). Regardless, this cheesy tune is okay but clearly aimed at non-serious music fans and teenagers, in particular. A good listen, but nothing jaw-dropping here. A good and quirky listen aimed at young women in particular. Not bad for what this is.

Circle The Drain begins with some rather bad-vibe guitars and Rock beats, launching into a rather skippable and worthless number on this Pop record. Indeed, this is exactly why Katy Perry is seen as a Popstar, and nothing serious to listen to otherwise. Just like Taylor Swift at the time of writing, this is nothing special nor worth paying attention to, at least on this song. The profanities throughout also underline the fact that this isn’t a consistent musical experience and is just really another good but flawed Pop record. Anyone born after 1990 will potentially enjoy this, but even so, this is rather garbage. This is a good example of an album with some hits and filler tracks after the hits are done. The second half is awful, with some digital editing and bizarre sounds that are science fiction-based. This is not a good song and comes across as a lyrical rant as well. In any case, a mediocre song to drag down this otherwise Poptastic album. This eventually ends with autotuned vocals and a sad set of lyrics. Very ordinary.

The One That Got Away begins with a basic drum beat, and this song is about missing a lover who indeed, got away. It is another cheesy, poor and forgettable tune on the matter, sadly. Katy Perry puts in some good emotion to a rather ordinary song that sets the scene for some unremarkable Pop music that is present to this day. Although this references Johnny Cash and putting on records and various other forms of music and musicianship, this is too cheesy to be properly appreciated. A good song, but far and away from being a great listen. Again, this is likely skippable, despite the fact that Katy Perry is doing her best to deliver an emotional ballad throughout. A disappointment, and really only aimed at those who liked the singles by Katy Perry. In any case, this is barely okay to listen to. The strings and arrangements do not really do a good deal of justice, and this is not a well-constructed piece of music from a quality perspective. It ends dramatically.

E.T. is a weird idea for a song and name. It begins with some electronic washes and launches into a digital Pop ballad that is interesting. This is a strange science fiction Pop ballad that is quite listenable, yet bizarre. Katy Perry launches into an interesting chorus and this song is surprisingly good for here today, gone tomorrow Pop Music. In any case, this is an interesting and well produced and layered song. This album has some varied quality on it, and this is definitely a better listening experience throughout. The younger generation in particular will dig this, but older folks will miss the point of this digital Pop Music. Still, it is certainly listenable and the editing throughout this EDM-styled song is very brilliant. A listenable tune from this album, and even though this is from a Pop Music album, it does sound great. Another one of the solid tunes by Katy Perry.

Who Am I Living For? sounds very EDM Techno at the start. Katy Perry sings well, and this launches into a soul-searching and rather emotional digital ballad. This, unfortunately, sounds like a bit of a drag and as the album progresses, it is noticeably full of filler tracks. This seems to be another one of those filler tunes, and instead of igniting it with more consistent and feel-good music that the singles contain, this comes across as a computerised drag. Even so, this is way better than the majority of chart-topping hits in the 2020s, and this song seemingly sets the scene for the future of music. Katy Perry obviously had little input into her own music, and this sounds like a melancholy digital tune that cannot really be taken seriously. This depressing and rather dull Pop song does not achieve much for the listener. This album is a good album for anyone in their teenage years, but the audience outside will not be impressed by songs such as these. A moody drag to listen to.

Pearl launches into what sounds like a stupid continuation of the previous track, with moody singing and EDM sounds and textures. Really, from one failure to another failure is not a smart idea on an album. This album quickly launches into a worse listen in some sections than Justin Bieber’s Music, which isn’t overly impressive either. This has little to no appeal, this track in particular. If you have a need to skip ahead, then this is your time to do so. Anyway, this is the moodier side of Katy Perry and it is sonic garbage. By this point, you can probably hit stop and put on some Jazz or something with artistic merit. This Pop Music is as poor as the worst EDM Mix, and not really worth your time, effort or energy listening to. Katy Perry attempting to sound like Adele on a song isn’t the best, and Adele does moodiness and depression a lot better. In any case, this is a write-off for a song. Avoid.

Hummingbird Heartbeat begins with some dark and melodic spacey sounds, and sounds quite frankly, bad. It quickly launches into a more consistent listening experience with an appeal for Rock fans out there. This music is designed to sell albums, not necessarily be of artistic worth in the long run. Even so, Katy Perry sounds like P!nk on this song, which is not exactly inspired or worthwhile in terms of originality. This is slightly better than the inferior songs on this album, but even so, this has as much longevity as lettuce, so to speak. A better listen, but is still basically trashy Pop Music to listen to. Regardless, this is a bit of a fresh change from the drearier tracks on this album. This has some good vocals throughout, and Katy Perry shows potential in her music. A good listen, oddly enough.

Not Like The Movies is the final song on this album, and begins with depressing piano. Katy Perry sounds like a proto-Billie Eilish on this song, which isn’t spectacular. Her singing is not the greatest on this tune, and you literally can hear the treating and autotune on her vocal parts (which is bad). In any case, by this point, you can hit stop and shake your head. Electronic looped drums enter, and this Pop trash enters a new realm of mediocrity. Not the best overall, even the likes of Doja Cat are better than this. A depressing and forgettable piece of music to conclude an album designed to sell units, not to be put into the music history books. It gets worse towards the end with strings and negative sounds throughout. A very average song to finish up an album that could have been much better. A bit long as well, this is a bit of a joke. The album ends here.

This is a Pop album from 2010 that has not aged terribly well. It’s good to hear the singles that made Katy Perry a household name, of which are good fun to hear. On the other hand, this is not a consistent listen and it sounds like Pop garbage that you could otherwise chuck straight into the bin of history. The best solution is to listen to the singles on YouTube by Katy Perry, in particular California Gurls and Firework. Most of the other songs are regrettably forgettable.

The best of trashy 2010 Pop in an album.

5/10