Dev Lemons - Freak Show Review
By Andy Portou
Freak Show is a fantastic representation of the current state of Gen Z’s underground experimental pop scene; the track is volatile in every sense of the word and refuses to conform to a confined genre or structure. With its exhilarating production and energy, this song is a frenzied tale of a first date gone wrong.
Dev Lemons and her trajectory is so fascinating to me. After first achieving virality on TikTok, she rejected label offers and remained independent, taking a stand against predatory record labels seeking to profit off of her work. She then found success on YouTube, where her music production talent, manic trolling and unhinged personality hit big with an audience of music lovers. All of this is to say that, underneath her endearing character and ‘shitposty’ humour is a genuine voice. Dev seriously loves and understands contemporary, underground music, and you can see this adoration at its strongest in Freak Show.
The song is a pick ‘n mix of so many contrasting genres, aesthetics and musical histories, and it mashes these disparate elements in a way that both lovingly nods to the past while also satirising it. This songwriting and production philosophy is extremely common amongst contemporary artists both underground and mainstream, with famous artists such as Charli XCX embracing ‘trash pop’. It is a beautiful homage to the kind of pop music your parents probably hated in the 00s, and it pushes that repetitive, loud, autotuned, bassy production to unbelievably extreme levels. While some critics may disavow this style of music as mere shock factor and cheap spectacle, tracks like Freak Show prove that there is so much nuance and fun to be had in this style.
Freak Show ends with a crushingly loud chorus, but there is a lot of build-up and carefully thought-out tension until we get to that point. The chorus has just one line repeated throughout, “did you go so i won’t stay?”, a declaration of confusion as Dev’s date has abandoned her to go on a completely different date with someone else. When Dev sings this for the first time, her voice is hushed and restrained, and the backing instrumental, while holding a level of grit and tension, is fairly tame. When this chorus comes back a second time, the beat is heavier, groovier and there’s an effortless lilt to Dev’s voice as she slides between notes. By the time we reach the final chorus, Dev is screaming the lyrics and the song transforms into a heavy, loud rock anthem. The transformation of this refrain across choruses is one of the coolest things I’ve seen a pop song do in quite some time.
Freak Show is a bizarre and striking pop anthem for anyone who has been jilted, and Dev marries the song’s lyrical themes with an equally disorientating instrumental. The track has phenomenal pacing and, through its constant beat switch-ups and contrasting choruses, manages to squeeze every second out of its short two-minute runtime. If this is a taste of what we can expect from Dev Lemon’s new album, then I am glued to my seat ready for more.
