Two years have passed since Lil Nas X released “Old Town Road” and became an international phenomenon. In my time writing “Tunes with Tate,” I have never reviewed such a highly-anticipated debut album, but “MONTERO” is finally here.
Starting off strong, “MONTERO (Call Me By Your Name)” blessed our ears with a queer anthem right off the bat. Inspired by the 2017 film Call Me By Your Name, the lyrics hint at developing feelings for someone who has an unhealthy relationship with drugs and alcohol, but still being completely infatuated with them.
“DEAD RIGHT NOW” bashes the act of only caring about someone once they’re successful. The instrumentals create a feeling of anger that aligns with his frustration regarding loving someone who suddenly reached out to him after his music started to do well. It has the perfect amount of vengeance and anger.
Jack Harlow hops onto “INDUSTRY BABY” to rap about the idea of knowing the value of your work, despite what doubters say. There even seems to be a hint toward Lil Nas X’s lawsuit involving the “Satan Shoes” he sold after the release of “MONTERO” in the line, “I blew up now everybody tryna sue me.” This track will make you feel unstoppable.
The fourth song, “THATS WHAT I WANT” puts Lil Nas X’s ability to sing pop on display. It’s a simple but romantic track about wanting to be loved. I think it is the musical embodiment of the puppy-dog-eyes emoji. In other words, this song makes you feel like you have a crush on someone and I need it to be used in a rom-com.
The interlude, “THE ART OF REALIZATION,” is a snippet of dialogue that seamlessly transitions into “SCOOP” featuring Doja Cat, which is about him working hard on himself and his music in order to stay in the news. Plus, its lyrics about pilates make it perfect for any workout playlist, and Doja Cat’s verse feels like a reward for every time you listen to the album.
Seeing that Elton John is featured on “ONE OF ME” was a collaboration I would’ve never expected when I saw the “MONTERO” track list. This may have been the only disappointing part of the album; I kept waiting for Elton’s voice to come in and it took until the song ended for me to realize he was the one playing piano. Still, the song hits hard as it delves into critics thinking they’re better than the artists they criticize, despite not doing anything that would prove it.
“LOST IN THE CITADEL” is about feeling a veil of glorification lift off of your relationship and realizing how one-sided it is, yet still wanting to go back to it at any given moment. I’m not going to lie, this song hurt — and I mean that in the best way possible.
“TALES OF DOMINICA” starts a streak of sad songs on the second half of the album. Lil Nas X does a great job of expressing the painful feelings that are a result of living in and coming from a broken home. “SUN GOES DOWN” goes into wanting to run away from life due to feeling isolated because of his race and queerness, but surviving that feeling with the desire to make his fans proud of him. Simply put, “VOID” is a great explanation of how the pressure of life can create a domino effect of unpleasant emotions.
There’s also a series of tracks about the reality of being famous. “DOLLA SIGN SLIME” featuring Megan Thee Stallion is one of my favorites; it expresses what it’s like to have people mistakenly think you’ve changed in a negative way because of getting famous. “DONT WANT IT” is about how sad and lonely it can get and sublimating those feelings with alcohol and drugs. In “AM I DREAMING” featuring Miley Cyrus, they both melancholically ask fans to remember their stories and all they accomplished when the “glitter comes off.”
For fans of pop rock songs and Lil Nas X, “LIFE AFTER SALEM” is perfect. The combination of its ominous, spooky vibes and lyrics about being carefree is immaculate for Halloween coming up. It is 100% one of my favorite tracks on this album.
I give “MONTERO” an eight-and-a-half out of ten rating. The hype leading up to its release started to make me question if it would be as good as everyone predicted, but in the handful of days since it was released, I have not seen any negative responses. It’s truly a spectacular debut album and I think the only way to go is up for Lil Nas X. He is breaking records and destroying barriers and I don’t anticipate that ever changing.
Tate Raub is a sophomore studying strategic communication at Ohio University. Please note that the views and opinions of the columnists do not reflect those of The Post. Want to talk more about it? Let Tate know by tweeting her @tatertot1310.
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