Mind Equals Blown
  • Home
  • Music
    • Fast Five
    • 3 Of The Week
  • Film/TV
  • Photos
  • Podcast
  • Pop-Punk May Madness
Album Reviews 4

Selena Gomez & The Scene: When the Sun Goes Down

By Sebastian Fonseca · On July 6, 2011


My relationship with Selena Gomez & the Scene began somewhat by accident. After realizing that my celebrity crush had an album out (as does every celebrity) I decided I needed to hear it. At first I liked Selena Gomez & the Scene’s debut album Kiss And Tell in a somewhat ironic way (how hipster of me!), but then I came to the conclusion that there were a few tracks on that album that I genuinely liked, but overall was it rehashed tween pop and actually pretty bad. It was then that they put out an album that I would grow to actually love, A Year Without Rain.

Riding on the success of Kiss and Tell’s most successful single, “Naturally,” A Year Without Rain was a deeper venture into euro-dance territory, to the point where a lot of the songs were based around the electronics rather than Selena’s voice. AYWR quickly became my guilty pleasure of 2010, I just couldn’t deny it; the songs may have been cheesy, but something about them was just so fun and captivating. So when I found out the follow-up to A Year Without Rain, titled When the Sun Goes Down, was coming out this summer, I was genuinely excited for it. Unfortunately When the Sun Goes Down is a step backwards as it utilizes the electronic aspects of the album mostly to create tween pop songs, rather than to continue on with the euro-dance influences.

The album gets off to somewhat of a good start. “Love You Like a Love Song” is reminiscent of some of A Year Without Rain’s more sultry moments. As a single it works perfectly and the production strays from that of the generic tween pop, showing that Selena’s label has been taking steps towards making her more of a different artist in her genre. “Bang Bang Bang” has great production and a quite the hook, but the lyrics are borderline raunchy with “ahhs” and the references to models and new boyfriends, strange considering that it’s one of the few songs in the album whose writing credits include Selena Gomez. “Who Says” is the ideal single, and if you’ve heard it already, chances are it’s stuck in your head (whether you consider that a good thing or not). The production with the all the strings is actually quite enjoyable, but the lyrics of self-empowerment, while positive, get corny… fast.

The main problem comes with the remainder of the songs, they’re just bland and forgettable. The obligatory ballad “We Own the Night” and the semi-ballad “Hit the Lights” show that if there’s one kind of pop song that Selena can’t pull off, it’s ballads. “Whiplash” and “Middle of Nowhere” just try too hard to fit in with the top 40 norm. Although some of these songs aren’t too enjoyable there are a few pop gems, in particular “When the Sun Goes Down,” which despite the incredibly dumb lyrics has perfect production (what other pop artist samples 8-bit sounds?), and “My Dilemma,” which is energetic and a potential hit.

Most people will read this review and think “Why is this on this site,” but the truth is that pop music is as legitimate as any other genre, and there is a beauty to a perfectly constructed pop song. While the songs aren’t written by Selena herself (a few of them are) they are still songs, and for whatever reason she seems to get the best ones. This album may not be as consistent as her previous effort, and it may not be something you want other people to know you listen to, but if you’re ever looking for a set of songs to unwind and have fun to then this album has a couple of those for you. Go ahead, I won’t tell anyone.

Share Tweet

Sebastian Fonseca

I’m an 18 year old Senior at Coral Gables High School in Miami, Florida. My five main loves in life are music, history, Pokemon, literature, and cats. I’m somewhat of a music nerd, so I tend to listen to any genre of music, but I am very particular as to which bands/artist I listen to from said genre. I’m also terrible at video games and sports, which I think makes me lame by default. Also, if it’s worth mentioning, I am fluent in Spanish, so don’t hesitate to let me do your Spanish homework.

You Might Also Like

  • Real Friends Album Reviews

    Real Friends Search for Stability on New Album “Composure”

  • Listen On Spotify Album Reviews

    Blending Pop, Country and Soul: Dan + Shay Impress Again

  • Single review for Season 13's winner of "The Voice", Chloe Kohanski. This blend of pop and rock aims to keep her from being a one-hit wonder. Album Reviews

    One-Hit Wonder: Chloe Kohanski’s “Come This Far” Has a Deeper Message

4 Comments

  • Replica rolex new watch says: March 13, 2020 at 11:34 AM

    … [Trackback]

    […] Find More to that Topic: mindequalsblown.net/reviews/album-reviews/selena-gomez-the-scene-when-the-sun-goes-down […]

    Reply
  • 먹튀검증사이트 says: March 21, 2020 at 3:35 AM

    … [Trackback]

    […] Here you will find 17391 additional Info to that Topic: mindequalsblown.net/reviews/album-reviews/selena-gomez-the-scene-when-the-sun-goes-down […]

    Reply
  • tag watch bands replica says: March 23, 2020 at 11:50 AM

    … [Trackback]

    […] Read More to that Topic: mindequalsblown.net/reviews/album-reviews/selena-gomez-the-scene-when-the-sun-goes-down […]

    Reply
  • opinie says: March 30, 2020 at 11:04 AM

    … [Trackback]

    […] Find More on that Topic: mindequalsblown.net/reviews/album-reviews/selena-gomez-the-scene-when-the-sun-goes-down […]

    Reply
  • Share Your Thoughts With Us! Cancel reply

    Music

    • An Absurd World: Bright Eyes and Meaning of Our Own Making

      September 11, 2020
    • Living Through the Emotion Revolution

      August 27, 2020
    • Folklore Proves That Taylor Swift Has Always Been This Good

      August 24, 2020
    • Daddy’s Beemer Ain’t Scared of Nothin’

      July 22, 2020
    • Previewing the Rest of 2020 in Album Releases

      July 12, 2020

    Film

    • Pandemic: How to Prevent an Outbreak Becomes an Eerie Reality as the Coronavirus Spreads

      April 2, 2020
    • Joe Pera Talks with You Is the Perfect Medicine in a Divided Time

      March 12, 2020
    • Everything Is Fine, and Other Takeaways from The Good Place

      February 26, 2020
    • Why I Picked Parasite to Win Best Picture (and Why I Was Right)

      February 11, 2020
    • Let’s Discuss This Year’s Academy Awards Nominations

      January 17, 2020

    Photos

    • Kansas City Fell For White Reaper This Valentine’s Season

      February 23, 2020
    • Thrice Perseveres to Put on Anniversary Show in Chicago

      February 10, 2020
    • Transcending with Illenium

      November 26, 2019
    • KC Bundled Up for Sweater Weather with The Neighbourhood

      November 20, 2019
    • Dreaming of a Plain White T’s Christmas

      November 19, 2019
    • About
    • Advertise
    • Contact Us
    • Press Kit

    Subscribe & Follow

    Follow @mindequalsblown
    Follow on Instagram
    Follow on rss
    © 2016 Mind Equals Blown All rights reserved.

    © 2013 Solo Pine Designs, Inc. All rights reserved.