20GAYTeen the Rate: WINNER!!

[Cutlery]

The videos are the best thing I take from Holland, they hit home a little too close

 

[Deleted member 29256]

Thank god this didn't outlast My My My. What was I thinking giving this a 8.5???

Troye already having the gays copy paste his music, not everyone has that.

 

[Verandi]

Troye already having the gays copy paste his music

To be copied you should have a unique style in the first place tho.

 

[yuuurei]

Like @ohnostalgia said, I never expected this to go so far when I suggested it, so I'm really happy it did and that new people discovered Holland.

I'm not one to care as much about the technical prowess of someone's voice myself - their ability to emote through their singing and/or make me feel something with their work is more important to me, regardless of language or subject matter. (Also though, I don't think his voice is bad at all.) So in this way I'm a huge fan of Holland's music and I'm looking forward to seeing him reach more success.

His comments on LGBTQ rep in Korea are very thoughtful, also. It's not just male idols who are allowed to "act" gay, either; in recent years there's a lot of girl-on-girl scenes, whether sensual or romantic, in Kpop videos and performances too, which, just like over here in the west, is seen as acceptable and titillating, while actual wlw and mlm expressing their sexuality through music or film is still considered an anomaly or phenomenon.

Korea definitely needs to make huge strides concerning LGBTQ rep and acceptance, but so does every other country. So a singer like Holland can be inspirational to people all over the world imo.

 

[Remorque]

Holland was nowhere near one of my faves for the top for this rate or even a 10 ddddd, but he's so incredibly important to our cause here that he for sure deserves his placement.

He's incredibly eloquent and I cling to his lips everytime the boy states an opinion on LGBTQ+ topics and really wish him all the best.

 

[fatyoshi]

Our next elimination is brought to us by legendary filmmaker Cheryl Dunye. Her filmography covers a variety of themes such as race, gender, and sexuality, particularly issues relating to black lesbians. Her film The Watermelon Woman (in which she also had a starring role) is notable in that it's the very first feature film to be directed by an out black lesbian.

22. “SGL”
By Now, Now
7.993​

Highest Scores: 11 x 1 (Me / @The Hot Rock) 10 x 7 (@Sanctuary, @slaybellz, @Lost Boy, @Hurricane Drunk, @Untouchable Ace, @Verandi, @LE0Night)
Lowest Scores: 4.5 x 1 (@Riiiiiiiii) 5 x 4 (@dylanaber, @ufint, @londonrain, @Untitled)
@Trouble in Paradise's Score: 9

You've got your finger on the trigger, baby
Give in to me

Further than I ever expected it to go, at number 22 we sadly lose my 11 and only track from my babies in Now, Now.

Now, Now (formerly known as Now, Now Every Children) is an indie pop band based in Minneapolis currently made up of founding members KC Dalager and Bradley Hale. Having met in high school through marching band, the two eventually formed the band that underwent a few lineup shifts (Jess Abbott of Tancred was a member for a few years) until we ended up where we are today.

SGL was the band's first non-remix material since 2012's cult fan favorite Threads and lead single for the long anticipated third album Saved. After a long period of pressure, delays, false starts, side projects, and questions as to whether the band was even going to continue they came blasting out the gate with this gem. To top things off, we have not only the song made by a band comprised of LGBTQ+ members but also the music video was directed by KC's girlfriend Alexa San Roman. I don't know about y'all but seeing LGBTQ+ people collaborate with each other to make fantastic art just warms my cold, dead heart. <3



While speaking to FADER, KC and Brad had the following to say about the process leading up to SGL and Saved:
​

No one was more aware of it than we were," Brad says, addressing the time passed between Threads and Saved. "When people were like 'Where's the album?' I was like, 'We know!'" The experience caused the pair to wipe their social media presences clean several times — a bitter irony, considering the role that the earlier era of social media played in their gradual ascent. "It was the first case of experiencing the really critical side of the internet, where I was like, 'There is a very dark side to this,'" KC says. "Not just a couple of people — a whole corner of the internet you don't want to go to. One thing that frustrated people is that I kept saying, 'I'd rather never put another album out than not like the album.' That stressed everyone out, but I was like, 'I just want to put out something I like!'"​

Putting such a turbulent period for the band in the past with SGL was a powerful statement. Gone are the dreary soundscapes of Threads (not a dig at that album, it's still possibly my fave of all time dddd), instead we have an upbeat expression of LGBTQ+ longing and love. You know what that is? Growth.

SGL may not have broken any new ground but not everything needs to. Positive representation is incredibly important and I'll always champion it. We're getting into some warmer weather where I live and I'm looking forward to driving home with my windows down as this song and the rest of Saved plays.

This ended up being a lot more aimless and embarrassing than I wanted it to be so let's see what y'all shotgun lovers had to say about SGL:

Untouchable Ace exhibits taste and stanning for the full album: I don't know why it's not called 'Shot Gun Lover'. Anyway Cacie has a beautifully distinct voice but you all need to hear how hers and Bradley's voices blend. This is illustrated better throughout their album Saved.
slaybellz serves long time fan: I was obsessed with their previous album “Threads” in college. Like I hammered it to death, and this was the perfect comeback single for them after so many years away. It’s similar enough to their old sound that it gives me those fuzzy nostalgic feelings but it still sounds fresh and like they've grown as a band.
Reboot has hopefully followed through and listened to Saved: Great song, though “MJ” would have been my preferred song choice for them. Half of my scoring the songs in this rate is me going “I didn’t know this act had an album out already!” Lemme listen to their album asap.
Pop3blow2 and I find agreement in our preference of their earlier material: I still like some of their earlier stuff better, but this is solid.
Constantino is given life: After all the subtle, queer synth bops that precede this in the rate playlist, this takes on a whole new gravitas. As someone who’s a life-long stan of dreamy indie pop, Now, Now are really giving me everything I want with their current output.
Ufint serves interesting comparisons but ultimately wasn't feeling it: What kind of generic early Katy Perry melody teas? This is kind of flat.
Gimmework offers praise while acknowledging other synth pop sensations: Catchy bop that kinda reminds me of Tegan & Sara.
And after some some embarrassment in addition to considerations of deleting here is my commentary in which I offer whatever this mess is: Okay, let me ramble a bit. I have a bit of a history with the band Now, Now. I got into them with their album Threads in 2012 during the probable worst year of my life to date. The album took over my life and I listened to it constantly, particularly during the winter, eventually wracking up 200+ plays for the album.

Due to some random circumstances involving the band (potential problems between the members, it taking 84 years between Threads and the new songs/album, and more) I really thought NN was done and was never going to come back. I was at work when I got the alert for this song and I went to listen to it on break in my car and I was sobbing lmao.

A lot of their older music is not... very happy which is fine, i'm not a very happy person overall (RIP) but to see them come back with such a wholesome and warm song in this way means the world to me. The album that came after this kinda fell flat for me a bit but I will always have a special place for this song and a few of the other ones from this era.




---

This was my first ever elimination post for anything on this site so if I mangled someone's commentary or messed up a score or whatever I'm sorry. Let me know if something looks off and I'll fix it. I double or triple checked but sometimes I'm just a fool dddddd.

Tomorrow or so I'll do a second post to highlight some side projects that have spawned off of Now, Now that might be worth giving a go.​

 

[slaybellz]

Aw! But it got further than I thought it would so i'm happy. I'm also in the camp that prefers "Threads" to their new album, but "SGL" and "Yours" are definitely top tier in their discography.

For anyone who liked "SGL" and is interested in doing a deep dive I definitely recommend you listen to "Threads". The "Neighbors" EP is also very good. I wish they had more fans on here cause they definitely have enough material for their own rate. Even the Now Now Every Children stuff is good.

 

[fatyoshi]

Aw! But it got further than I thought it would so i'm happy. I'm also in the camp that prefers "Threads" to their new album, but "SGL" and "Yours" are definitely top tier in their discography.

For anyone who liked "SGL" and is interested in doing a deep dive I definitely recommend you listen to "Threads". The "Neighbors" EP is also very good. I wish they had more fans on here cause they definitely have enough material for their own rate. Even the Now Now Every Children stuff is good.

A Now, Now (plus the Every Children material) rate would be so good. The results would probably kill me a bit but, good still dddd.

 

[Verandi]

The extras were done dirty.

 

[londonrain]

The extras were done dirty.

Isn't this the case in literally every rate?

 

[Verandi]

Isn't this the case in literally every rate?

"We have to break the wheel" etc etc

 

[ohnostalgia]

There are still three (?) extras in, one of which I think has a shot at Top 10.

 

[Verandi]

There are still three (?) extras in, one of which I think has a shot at Top 10.

And I'll be mad as hell when the other two won't make it.

 

[fatyoshi]

In a challenge dedicated to LGBTQ+ excellence, it would be a disservice to not shine a light on the side projects that have spawned from Now, Now. Both drummer Bradley Hale, and former guitarist/songwriter Jess Abbott have fantastic projects of their own.

Not content to just slay people in one band, Brad has a solo project called Sombear in addition to his production work for other artists and remixes. Sombear is a synth-pop/chillwave project that saw one full length album release called Love You in the Dark. What at the time felt like a huge departure from his work in Now, Now can now be seen as a precursor of sorts to what came with SGL and Saved. Unfortunately, after the release of the album the project has been a bit stagnant other than some light touring and a few standalone track releases. Hopefully we'll see something from him again in the future since Love You in the Dark was a great one.

Jess has a band called Tancred. Tancred has been pretty active over the years, seeing four full lengths (Capes, Tancred, Out of the Garden, and last year's Nightstand) an EP (String and Twine), and some touring. Tancred's sound overall is more along the lines of Now, Now's earlier stuff at times so fans of that might find something here. Definitely look into songs from each release though since they can be a bit varied.



I would love to see a side project from KC someday. I'm not sure what it would sound like but since every other project that has spawned from members of Now, Now has been great, I'm sure it would be nothing short of excellent.

 

[Trouble in Paradise]

Now, Now were a total discovery for me in this rate but I LOVE “SGL.” It was definitely one of those songs whose score just kept going up and up and up. I really need to check out all their stuff especially their side projects. A huge shout out to @The Hot Rock for an amazing write up!

 

[Deleted member 29256]

​

Here to introduce the next cut: Touko Valio Laaksonen best known by his pseudonym Tom of Finland! This legendary Finnish artist best known for his stylized and highly masculinized homoerotic fetish art. Having an extremely high impact on late twentieth century gay culture, he has been called the most influential creator of gay pornographic art.​

And guess who's a Tom of Finland fan...

#21 BLOOM
by TROYE SIVAN
8.05




High / 11 : @Music Is Life / 10 : @CorgiCorgiCorgi : @Sanctuary : @soratami : @londonrain : @happiestgirl : @Riiiiiiiii : @slaybellz : @Untouchable Ace : @KingBruno / 9 : @Trouble in Paradise
Low / 1.5 : @LE0Night / 3 : @Cutlery / 4 : @Empty Shoebox : @constantino




Come on baby, play me like a love song
Every time it comes on I get this sweet desire
Yeah I bloom just for you



​

The tension in the song is very well thought out, with 2 build ups that go from almost accapella, to a contemporary synth sound, to an amazing 80s drum climax in the chorus. The drum particularly reminds me of a song called If You Leave by Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark, a very underrated 80s masterpiece which was part of the soundtrack for Pretty In Pink (1986). Mixed with the contemporary ‘spacey’ synth sounds in the verses and the guitar added in the second part of the chorus, it results in a very powerful and uplifting song, while maintaining the soft and romantic air that floats all over the album.

On that romantic level, the lyrics tell the story of a boy who is maturing and is sharing and dedicating his growth to his lover, asking him to be gentle with him. This double entendre undoubtably makes it a gay anthem.

The music video confirms this iconic queer status. In a very clean but colorful setting, Troye is feeling all of his gay oats, wearing outfits and make-up that only a proud queer man would. Not only does he empower the proud skinny twink image we saw in the My My My video, he’s also very comfortable wearing a floral two piece from womenswear. Images of muscled and rough hunks who look like Tom of Finland characters are shown in between shots, in contrast with Troye, who represents a new generation of millennial queers, who are possible to out themselves at a very young age and are not ashamed to flaunt their femininity in public.

Troye is truly one of the best live acts I've ever seen. This album was already one of my favorites, but getting to experience it live just lifted it up even more. The critique of him having zero charisma or presence is such a bullshit statement, and the receipts are right there.

​

There’s been a lot of fanfare about the single, “Bloom,” being implicitly about bottoming. I would assume if straight people were listening to it and weren’t familiar with gay sex, they wouldn’t pick up on those nuances. Do you have your queer audiences in mind when you’re writing about those kinds of experiences?
I do. A big thing for me with this album is, I wanted to write music that didn’t feel like — I’m sorry — bullshit. I didn’t want to bullshit anybody. I live in this very particular, surreal world where I hang out almost exclusively with queer people. I live 10 minutes from West Hollywood, which is like one of the gayest places in the world. You know, for me, this is really real life, being able to celebrate these things, being able to talk about these things, and just being as open and honest as you want, and I didn’t want to come to this album writing for anyone but me and my friends. I wanted to make an album that I was really proud of, that felt exciting to me, and that felt honest to me, and felt like something that made sense of me. And a big part of that was exploring these themes the way I would amongst friends or whatever. - them.

Favorite memory of recording Bloom?
Taking a trip to Sweden to work with Max Martin's MXM crew, which resulted in two of the songs I released as a precursor to the album. It just felt magical. We wrote 'My My My!' in that time, we wrote 'Bloom' while we were there, it was summer, so it was light 20 hours of the day. It was a magical time. - Nine
​

I love that there are so many nuances in the way you choose lyrics. While many queer sex songs are shocking or superficial, "Bloom" addresses the vulnerability and fear of bottoming, which is refreshing. Was it important for you to approach it that way?
I just wanted to be as real as possible about it and for me, that's a really tender and sweet experience. I wanted to explore it in that perspective, and ultimately I was writing a love song from my experience. I wanted it to be sweet and candor and have all that stuff with fear and curiosity — everything packed in there. - Paper

When you wrote "Bloom," did you feel there was a void in songs about queer sex?
Honestly, when I was writing that song, the thought process was like, That sounds so fun, I've never sung about that. Can we even do that? Is that allowed? It was me and Leland, and like any gaggle of gays, we were giggling and having a really good time making it. There wasn't too much thought about if the world needs this or anything like that, it was just us having a good time and a laugh. - Paper

The "Bloom" video is a shift in visuals for you. It's the most high-femme, high-fashion, queer version I've ever seen of you. Did it take time for you to gain the confidence to present yourself this way?
Yeah, completely. That day was about creating a fantasy. I wanted the video to feel fantastical. I was working with Bardia Zeinali, who has been a friend for a while and I just have such faith in him and trust in him. We had this incredible mood board of all these references with everyone from David Bowie to Grace Jones and Madonna. I was so inspired by it, but it was also that moment where I was like, "Can I do this? I know that this feels right for me, but am I allowed to do this?" And then I was like, "Fuck it let's do it." From the get-go, I knew the most important thing was going to be assembling the right crew — the best makeup artist, the best hairstylist, the best stylist. We really just had a day of dress-up, and it was something I wanted to do my entire life but never really had the guts to do. For me, it was just about living that fantasy and creating that fantasy. - Paper

The lilies, orchids and roses :
​

@Music Is Life : Love the production on this. His vocals are pretty good too. Upon a second listen this became a 10 due to that production and his vocals, and the vibe of the song. Bloom for me Troye. So yeah. This is my 11. I just really love this song, and his voice and the lyrics get my blood pumping, and my heart racing. I just really love this song (and him).
@Untouchable Ace : One of those genuinely amazing songs that instantly click. It's not about gardening theaux and I ruined my boyfriend’s enjoyment of the song because I read to much of the Bloom thread and explained it, Also an 11 contender.
@KingBruno : How the song builds up from the gloomy synths in the verse to the in-your-face snare drum in the chorus is pure pop euphoria. The staggering crescendo of the second chorus (“come on baby play me like a love song…”) takes the song up a notch to the point it can’t really get any better.
@slaybellz : Catchy bop. Not much else to say, other than every time I hear that little robotic voice effect during the bridge I think of “Fanmail” by TLC.
@Reboot : Very good

The Poison Ivy and wallflowers:​

@Posh Spears : SCREAM at the chorus having so much potential to pop off but they went with pretty much the dullest arrangement possible.
@constantino : Troye has like...negative sex appeal, it’s actually quite remarkable.
@The Hot Rock : This one stands out to me as one that overcomes Troye's personal lack of presence vocally. A cute bop.
@Untitled : Dick desire described as sweet... maybe I would choke on a dildo made of chocolate, otherwise I cannot relate
@ufint : Almost too gay to function, but that chorus is undeniable.
@Verandi : The only track from the album I still listen from the album. His delivery is still pure boredom though.

​

​

 

[CorgiCorgiCorgi]

I really hoped this one would make the top 20! It's a lovely little song.

 

[Music Is Life & Death]

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! IT WAS SO CLOSE! And some of my commentary seems to have gotten lost, which I understand: Plus on a surface level it's clearly about sex, which is fine if that's all he ever sang about I'd be happy, but I also feel like it's about being willing to take that step and be in a relationship and open up to someone you love, which I think is a really great sentiment.

 

[Old Untouchable Ace]

I'm upset that at least one Janelle song didn't leave before 'Bloom' could reach the top 10 20.

There's voters backing all sides.

Now, Now is just lovely and thanks to @CorgiCorgiCorgi for consistent taste in introducing us to 'Yours' back when.

A few arstists only having 1 song left is not ideal.

Also thanks to the beautiful guest eliminators and @Trouble in Paradise you're still doing an amazing job.

But I'm a fan on both sides, help!

 

[fatyoshi]

It came to my attention now that in my guest elimination I completely omitted an introduction by a queer hero. I went back and fixed it but I'm gonna quote the introduction just to give visibility. (I knew that went a bit too smoothly for a first try...)

Our next elimination is brought to us by legendary filmmaker Cheryl Dunye. Her filmography covers a variety of themes such as race, gender, and sexuality, particularly issues relating to black lesbians. Her film The Watermelon Woman (in which she also had a starring role) is notable in that it's the very first feature film to be directed by an out black lesbian.​

The Watermelon Woman is an absolutely wonderful film and is available on Kanopy (a streaming service that some libraries give access to) for free. Definitely worth a go.