Overall, this EP surprised me. I didn't really love it on the first or second listen, but after 8 or so listens, I enjoy it immensely. The collaborations are lacking, but Bebe Rexha's themes of rebelliousness, the extremely strong production on every song, and her distinctive voice made AYFPT1 so much better than I expected.
The album starts strong with "Atmosphere". It really does remind me of the style of Jojo on Mad Love., an album I previously reviewed. The almost rapped verses and the very strong and vocal focused chorus sound great, as Rexha proudly claims that she'd "die for my baby, no lie." Sonically, "Atmosphere" is really nice, especially the long, drawn out words on the pre-chorus. The worst part about this song is some of the lyrics, like "If there's winners and losers, then I'll be the loser". It kind of breaks the immersion.
"I Got You" was a great choice for the lead single, and wow, this song is a bop. The "Oooh" part in the pre-chorus may be disconcerting to some, but I think that it sounds natural and pretty good. The best part about this song is that you expect an instrumental "pop drop" the first time you listen to it, but it ends up pulling a bait and switch and going to a fierce, almost rapped chorus, as Bebe affirms that "we can get high, oh na na na/ we can get low, oh na na na". Bebe's voice does sound a bit strained on this song at some parts, but she does sound pretty similar live. This song is what made me think that AYF would be decent in the first place, and it lived up to that.
"Small Doses" starts with a nice intro, leading into Bebe's downtempo verses. The verses seem purposefully repetitive, and they give way to a crescendo of a chorus, as it gets faster and faster as it goes on. Some people I know compare it to a Tove Lo song, and I agree to some extent, but not too much. Bebe's voice is just too different. I found it really interesting that this track samples Lindsey Stirling, a youtube-based violinist, in the production. The song ends with her voice getting more distorted, and though this does seem like the fan favorite on the album, it's pretty average in my eyes.
"FFF (F*ck Fake Friends)" is a more carefree song than any of the previous. The production is pretty weak, with vocal samples that sound like a small child cooing. The lyrics are pretty okay, a "screw the haters" anthem, and I do find it really cool how the tempo slows down and she says "Is there anybody real out here?" in a more whispery voice, as it sounds very juxtapositioned. Bebe's friend G-Eazy jumps on the track to add very little to the song, unsurprisingly. The song comes to a crescendo for a drum-heavy bridge,
"Gateway Drug" starts downtempo, with a trippy beat and an urban buildup. Her voice sounds great, especially when she says "If you wanna talk lets talk about the way you left me/ left me with a text so cold, yeah". I love that "yeah" ad-lib in particular. The verse leads up into a deliciously messy chorus, as she angrily sings "Cause kissing leads to touching leads to loving leads to f*cking leads to someone always seems to get hurt." That line seems like it wouldn't work at all, but Bebe makes it sound spectacular. The second, more production heavy chorus is the highlight of the song, and the lyrics on this track sounds great in general. The end of the song is pretty interesting, bringing in a vocoder and pitching her voice quite a few times, but I can see how it would turn some people off of the song. Regardless, this is my favorite song on the EP, and I think it just sounds great in general. It's a bit production-carried, but it's The Invisible Men; what do you expect?
"Bad B*tch", ft Ty. Dolla $ign, is certainly a solid track. Bebe tries extremely hard to distance herself from the "generics" as she calls them, painting herself as "the baddest". The production on this track is absolutely amazing, almost to the point of being production carried. I could see it working by itself with a trap drop. The hook to this song is also interesting, with the pre-chorus of "Say you want a bad b*tch / baby now you have it / now you got the baddest/ show me you can handle this" followed by a shrill, computer-distorted title drop and some great vocalists. The title drop might turn people off, and the bridge is really bad up to the end, which mostly redeems it, with the "keep saying your prayers". Ty Dolla $ign also jumps on the song with a mediocre verse. I don't think that I've ever been impressed by anything he dropped; and he's on far too many people songs in order for them to seem "urban".
Overall, I really enjoyed this. It's certainly a grower; I probably like it now five times as much as I used to like it when I first heard it. All of the songs are solid, though the two rap features both seem weak and tacked on in order to make Bebe seem like more of a "bad b*tch". It's notable that Bebe seems to follow a format in her chorus of having two distinct parts and the pre-chorus. and I really enjoy that. I actually slightly enjoy blonde Bebe over dark haired Bebe; though other people showered her with praise, I thought that some of her tracks back then were weak, like "I'm Gonna Show You Crazy". Good work.
Final Verdict:
80/100
Favorite Tracks:
Gateway Drug, I Got You, Atmosphere
Least Favorite Tracks:
FFF
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