It’s the pop battle everyone’s talking about. Here is what PopSlutz has to say about both tracks…
Lady Gaga – Applause
Gaga has returned with a bouncy disco synth pop song that is made for the dance floor. Gaga’s vocals have a darker tone to them than we’ve heard previously, she sings with an almost Bowie-like intonation.
A perfectly constructed pop song, starting with moody verses that lead into a kick-drum driven bridge with a high-cut filter that propels us into the chorus. There’s even some spelling out of words post-chorus which we LOVE. L-O-V-E.
The chorus is euphoric, structured around call-and-response micro-hooks as opposed to the huge catchy choruses of her previous album. Sure, it’s no ‘Bad Romance’, but nobody releases their best single first right? (ahem…yes we’re talking about you Justin Timberlake). ARTPOP is destined to have some killer tracks on it, we’re just not sure that this is it.
Katy Perry – Roar
Katy Perry has recruited the pop powerhouse dream team of Dr Luke, Max Martin, Bonnie Mckee and Cirkut for her latest release. Lyrically, ‘Roar’ may include a fair few cliches but there’s a story behind the song. It’s an empowering, getting-over-you independence anthem.
Verses are bouncy and reflective and the bridge follows with similar momentum, though it does go on for about twice as long as necessary (#DontBoreUsGetToTheChorus).
But when we do finally get there, POW, what a chorus. Vocals are heartfelt, the portamento on the word ‘roar’ is a nice touch and the ad-libs on the final chorus take Katy Perry into her element. It has all the winning formulas of ‘Firework’, though the difference is that it lacks the banging BPM. It seems that in a bid for that ‘anthemic’ feel the track has gone dangerously slow… here’s hoping for a good remix.
PopSlutz 
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