Carly Rae Jepsen’s newest album is a criminally underrated pop music masterpiece. EMOTION: Side B is the follow up B side to the Canadian singer/songwriter’s 2015 album EMOTION, which enjoyed little commercial success, peaking at number 16 on the US Billboard chart and eight on the Japanese and Canadian charts.
However, although it did not achieve a high amount of streaming, it gained a cult following and earned a 7.4/10 on Pitchfork and a 78/100 by critics on Metacritic, as well as being Entertainment Weekly’s Pop Album of the Year. The album was recorded off the back of her 2012 album Kiss and her major commercial breakthrough with “Call Me Maybe.”

You would be in the majority of people if  “Call Me Maybe” is the only song of Jepsen’s you have heard, but EMOTION and EMOTION: Side B are appreciable albums on their own merit and are worth checking out even if you vehemently hated “Call Me Maybe.” In this EP Jepsen delivers a solid tracklist of 80s style bubblegum pop done well, complete with audaciously tacky lyrics about boys, heartbreak, sweet clean vocals, booming, poppy synths, crafting a solid aesthetic without coming off as gimmicky or unoriginal.

She doesn’t need complicated or glitzy backing tracks because the confidence she has in her voice is obvious in the way she puts it front and center in her music, allowing the minimal synth, drum and bass lines to back it instead of trying to overcompensate and overpower her vocals. This EP is not only impressive production wise, but is great ear candy, boasting infectious hooks and catchy beats on nearly every single track that capture the spirit of 80s music, sticking in your head like singles coming straight out of an 80s pop radio station.

The length is nearly perfect, allowing every song to feel fresh and giving enough space to accomplish what she felt was needed on this album, without dragging on for too long and getting boring or stale. Whether you’re a fan of traditional pop music or 80s pop music or not, this album is thoroughly enjoyable for anyone who can swallow their pride and admit that they’re not too good for pop music.