You always remember the music you listened to and loved growing-up, perhaps influenced by what was on constant rotation on the radio. The older you get and the more music you discover along the way, there’ll always be an unshakeable fondness for the artists and albums of your childhood tied by nostalgic connection.
FLOOZY, the follow-up to Michigan-born artist Siena Liggins’ 2021 debut Ms. Out Tonightis indebted to the pop-hook riffs synonymous with 90s superstars such as Britney Spears, TLC, Jessica Simpson and Backstreet Boys. On her latest work, Liggins makes no secret of her love for the pop stars of this era as she namechecks members of the Spice Girls – specifically Posh, Baby and Scary – on ‘HOTTIEZ’, a track which employs that quintessential fuzzy guitar tone used in the early 2000s to make audiences think that the wholesome act had an edge. Later, Liggins recalls another watershed moment, this time from 2003, when she wryly sings, “If I play Britney, will you be Madonna?” on the sultry ‘CHAPSTICK’.
What sets Liggins apart, not counting the two decades that separates her music from the artists that have influenced her style, is that she is using these songs to express her thoughts, desires and experiences unequivocally, all the while using the tonal tools and ironies of the past. “Not a salon, but come play in my hair / Let’s fuck everywhere, pick it up right here,” is just one instance where she playfully articulates and celebrates her sexual urges, openly, whereas sentiments like this would have been shrouded in suggestion in the past. In this regard, Liggins’ personality blazes with a natural charm. She also successfully balances these forthright moments by showing her softer side on some of FLOOZY’s most engaging moments, notably ‘DELICATE’ and ‘W.U.S.S. (why u so scared)’. This authenticity makes her such a captivating presence across these eleven songs.
While FLOOZY feels like a celebration of the sometimes comically textured pop songs of years gone by, Liggins also incorporates plenty of contemporary references to further allure her audiences into this multifaceted work. Notably, the darker tones pulsing through the title track and ‘SNEAKY LINKS’ incorporating the trendy fuzzed bass beat that’s dominated recent radio hits from high-profile collaborations by Sam Smith and Kim Petras or Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion, respectively. Elsewhere, lyrically, the work is reflective of online culture with considerations to “cry on live and go viral”, condolences to Pop Smoke, mentions of Uber Eats and the power social media can yield in social dynamics (“I saw your girlfriend quote me in her caption”). The melding of past with present on FLOOZY is one of its strengths as it feels accessible, and in no way alienating, to both millennial and Gen-Z audiences
Sonically, Liggins manages to pack in a myriad of production styles in twenty-six short minutes. The breadth of FLOOZY’s tonal variety does well to distract from the albums short run-time, as she accomplishes so much within the songs, sometimes before reaching the two-minute mark. Compared to her accomplished debut, FLOOZY is considerably tighter in delivering compositions with immediate impact both musically and lyrically. The whomping beats coupled with her quickened (and effect-laden) vocal delivery of ‘3 BAD’ and ‘POP BABY’ are laden with infectious hooks that linger long after listening.
There’s an irresistible quality to Siena Liggins’ artistry which has been masterfully captured on FLOOZY. The marked progression between releases, not only indicates her prolific nature as an artist, but that Siena Liggins appears to be pushing herself with her music. Crucially, she is also clearly having fun in the process.
