American Teen: An Album Review
// Brandon Cope, 2020
Khalid’s debut album, American Teen, is a hip-hop / R&B thrill ride through the highs and lows of just that: an American teen. Having just graduated from high school, the nineteen year old — whose full name is Khalid Amhearst Robinson — has a fresh view on a teenager’s perspective. American Teen was released on March 3, 2017, with leading singles “Location” and “Young Dumb & Broke.” Throughout the whole of American Teen, Khalid, by using words like “we” and “our,” suggests all of his thoughts are not just his: they’re universal among teens: “We don’t always say when we mean / When we’re high off our American teen.” The album opens with the song of the same “The song perfectly name, “American Teen.” It starts with an alarm-like noise and a new-wave synth, and instantly reveals the encapsulates what high overall tone of the album: that of millenials, in a quickschool love is: new, ly changing world. The song’s opening line, “Living a good life full of good vibes,” introduces the listener to a exciting, but not often young and hopeful Khalid, loving life. The song goes on very rewarding.” to reiterate this theme: “Cause this is our year / So wake me up in the Spring / While I’m high off my American dream,” and spotlights life as a nineteen year old in the 21st century, with lines throughout about ridesharing app Uber and such modern things. The third song of the album, leading single “Location,” is what made Khalid famous. Even if you didn’t know its name, at least some of you have listened to it, be it on the radio or some store like Abercrombie and Fitch. The first few seconds of the song are an indescribable music synth, which then opens into his first lines: “Send me, your location / Let’s focus on, communication.” This is when we first start to hear about one of the staples of problems that all teenagers will run into some time or another: relationships. It continues: “At times I wonder why I fool with you / But this is new to me, this is new to you.” The song perfectly encapsulates what high school love is: new, exciting, but not often very rewarding. Throughout the entire album, songs build on these two themes. “Another Sad Love Song,” as the title may suggest, continues to illustrate the frustrations of modern teenagers with lines such as “I’m not the best at showing my emotions / You cut me deep and you left me wide open,” and “Bridges they are burning / Lover, I am worried Tables they are turning / Lover, I am hurting.” The album continues with this, as in “Hopeless.” “Hopeless, hopelessly romantic / You, you got me stranded,” to “Now tell me was I ever something that you could regret / I know I wasn’t the one for you / But at least I tried my best,” further establishes that Khalid, in all reality, is just a normal teen, with normal teen problems. The album has plenty of lightheartedness, too: “8TEEN” joyfully hymns “Because I’m eighteen / And I still live with my parents / Yeah they’re not like yours / Well yours are more understanding,” continuing, “Shake away all the stress off my shoulders / Gonna have a good day / A good day.” And Khalid displays his age in “Let’s Go,” with energy and enthusiasm, but also a little aimlessness, just graduating high school, as seen with lyrics such as “You got too much time to waste / Focusing on what people say / They might not like that we were right / But we’re here to stay,” going into, “Oh shit, I just graduated / I don’t have any obligations / So let’s have a little 47 | E C H O E S