Katy Perry- 143
Label: Capitol
Producers: Dr. Luke, Cirkut, Aaron Joseph, KBeazy, Malibu Babie, Vaughn Oliver, Rocco Did It Again!, Stargate
Once upon a time, in the far-away universe of early 2010s pop, there were few hit-makers with the golden touch of Katy Perry. Between 2008 and 2013, she crowned the Billboard Hot 100 an impressive nine times, and provided a new decade one of its first definitive blockbusters with her sophomore effort, Teenage Dream. Perry was an undeniable industry darling, the poster-girl for the fun escapist pop sounds of the time, and a sensation worthy of mention in the same breath as heavyweights like Beyonce, Rihanna, Adele, Gaga and Taylor. A decade later and the picture looks drastically different. The roll-out of the singer’s seventh album, 143, has been one of the most awkwardly marred in recent memory. Months before its release and anyone had even heard the entire record, it had already been cast as an unmitigated disaster, thanks to a bevy of PR missteps and ethically questionable producer choices. So, now that the music is finally out in the universe, what is the 143 verdict? Well, it’s certainly not the thrilling showcase that will render Perry a comeback in any segment outside her most loyal fanbase. But, it’s also not the dumpster-fire or train-wreck that the press so venomously predicted either. But hell, at least something of that magnitude would have been more interesting to talk about. 143’s biggest problem is that it’s so utterly lifeless. It’s a thirty-minute assault of sleepy vocals, tepid beats, and uninspired lyrics. Look, Katy Perry was never a lyrical genius or averse to paint-by-number platitudes. In her glory days however, her performances and production popped and sparkled with a charmingly campy charisma that made even her most cringe-worthy moments (“Peacock” anyone?) an essential ingredient to her overall appeal. Her music was unabashedly fun. This is not the performer we find on 143. To be fair, she took some major artistic swings on 2017’s Witness, that for better or worse, at least resulted in a compellingly curious album from an artist eager to express her unique POV. The industry rejected it. On 2020’s overlooked but solid Smile, she sounded assured and satisfied settling into a cozy legacy arc, unconcerned with the chart stats of the past. The industry ignored it. But, this is what makes 143 feel especially regressive in its obvious goal of chasing pop sounds and trends that are themselves even exhausted by the fall of 2024. She’s going through the motions seeking a hip profile that has passed her by, no matter how great or terrible her records are. Not everyone can attain the decades-spanning chart dominance of a Madonna or Janet Jackson. Just ask Cyndi Lauper. Or even Paula Abdul. Or a score of other artists who have managed to achieve continued professional success by focusing on their own artistic interests and dedicated fanbases, rather than what a fickle industry will demand from them but never accept. Until Perry reconnects with whatever that looks like for her, her music will lack that pulse that it once had, not to mention a growth that she may still be capable of. She sounds bored by this album. Her ludicrous amount of collaborators sound bored by this album. And consequently, the rest of us are bored by this album. And in pop music, boredom is the greatest offense of all. That is the ultimate death-knell of 143 more than anything else.
Track Listing:
- “Woman’s World” (Katy Perry, Dr. Luke, Vaughn Oliver, Aaron Joseph, Rocco Valdes, Chloe Angelides)
- “Gimme Gimme” featuring 21 Savage (Perry, Sheyaa Bin Abraham-Joseph, Gottwald, Valdes, Ogren, Theron Thomas, Gamal Lewis, Ferras Alqaisi)
- “Gorgeous” featuring Kim Petras (Perry, Kim Petras, Max Martin, Oliver Joseph, Valdes, Angelides, Malibu Babie, Devin Wilkes)
- “I’m His, He’s Mine” featuring Doechii (Perry, Jaylah Hickmon, Gottwald, Valdes, Ogren, Thomas, Lewis, Alqaisi, Crystal Waters, Neal Conway)
- “Crush” (Perry, Gottwald, Valdes, Ogren, Keegan Bach, Emily Warren, Scott Harris, Sarah Hudson, Dallas Koehlke)
- “Lifetimes” (Perry, Gottwald, Valdes, Ogren, Thomas, Lewis, Hudson)
- “All the Love” (Perry, Gottwald, Oliver, Joseph, Ogren, Thomas, Bach, Alqaisi)
- “Nirvana” (Perry, Gottwald, Oliver, Joseph, Valdes, Ogren, Bach, Hudson, Koehlke, Thomas, Warren, Harris)
- “Artificial” featuring JID (Perry, JID, Gottwald, Joseph, Valdes, Bach, Angelides, Hudon, Samuel Catalano)
- “Truth” (Perry, Gottwald, Oliver, Valdes, Ogren, Lewis, Hudson)
- “Wonder” (Perry, Alqaisi, Tor Hermansen, Mikkel Eriksen, Henry Walter, Kent Sundberg, Cato Sundberg)
The 706 
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