There are two camps of people who know Joshua Bassett: the people who watch “High School Musical: The Musical: The Series” and the people who love Olivia Rodrigo. Bassett is best known for his music career as a vocalist. His rise to fame is primarily due to his role as Ricky in Disney’s new rendition of High School Musical and his previous relationship with his co-star Olivia Rodrigo. On May 21, 2021, Rodrigo released an album called “SOUR” and people targeted Bassett because it is believed he was the main inspiration for much of “SOU.” Bassett received a lot of hate from the TikTok community. Was this hate justified? That is up to interpretation, but let’s turn our focus to Bassett’s EP release called “Sad Songs In A Hotel Room,” which I would have to wonder if this is some sort of response to Rodrigo’s album.
On Sept 23, 2022, “Sad Songs In A Hotel Room “dropped with a total of six songs. In the initial listen to the EP, I was not impressed by Bassett’s attempt to be sad about previous relationships and portrayal of the burden of fame. I never want to be unsympathetic to someone’s struggles, but I wish Bassett would have found a more interesting way to tackle this issue. The EP did not have a diverse selection of music. It felt like they could have all been the same song. If that was the point of the EP, the mission was accomplished, but I was expecting more from him. The song that differed the most from the rest of the EP was Smoke Slow and this also happens to be the song with the most streams on Spotify (the best music streaming platform). This would probably be one of my least favorite songs on the album. The music was good, but the lyrics were basic.
This was a consistent theme while listening to the album. The music is good, but not anything unique, and the lyrics were unoriginal. I was able to predict some of the lyrics in the songs during my initial listen. Personally, I often resonate with the lyrics of a song more than the music and if the lyrics do not provoke an emotional response in me, I am inclined to not listen to that song again. The two songs I think captured the essence of the album is “LA” and “Used To It.” “LA” touches on the toxicity of fame and the expectations of emotional regulation, which brings an interesting light to his life as a Disney star. The music is catchy, and it has been stuck in my head and some of the lyrics were hard-hitting. “Used To It” definitely fits into the overarching sound of the EP, but I was more drawn to it because the lyrics were more transcendent. Out of “LA” and “Used To It,” “Used To It” was the only one I added to my liked songs.
I think the biggest improvement needed for this EP is the lyrics and the narratives Bassett is portraying. Bassett explains his narratives thoroughly and shallowly which does not entice me to go back and listen to the music again. For me, good lyrics make the listener sit in the lack of resolution which can then make the song about what narrative it is trying to portray. This invites more space for the listener to interpret for themselves the narrative for deeper levels of resonance. This is something Bassett can improve with time. I am excited to see how he grows as an artist, but, for now, “Sad Songs In A Hotel Room” will stay locked in a room with a do not disturb sign.
