Broken Hearts Club is the second studio album by American singer Syd. The album was released through Columbia Records on April 8, 2022.
Background
Syd, a member of the Grammy-nominated band The Internet, released her second solo album five years after the release of her debut solo album, Fin.[1] Whilst Fin has been described as a 'confident' and self-assured album, Broken Hearts Club is more 'vulnerable' - inspired by contrasting experiences of love and heartbreak.[2][3] Syd began work on the album in the midst of a relationship, and finished it after the couple separated. The album follows a similar narrative pattern to her personal experience, starting with "CYBAH": a song about starting a new relationship, and closing with "Missing Out": which looks back on an ended relationship as both parties move on.[4] In an interview with NME, Syd spoke about experiencing a creative period after she was diagnosed with depression and began to see a therapist, which enabled her to finish work on the album.[2]
"Missing Out" was released as a single in February 2021, with "Fast Car" and "Right Track" coming out in July and September of the same year respectively. In a press conference for "Fast Car", Syd said that the track was created because she 'wanted to make something for the gay Black girls'.[6][7] The accompanying music video for the song, which the Gay Times called one of 'her most queer tracks to date', features Syd driving with a female love interest.[8]
Release and reception
Broken Hearts Club received positive reviews, with NME giving it four out of five stars and calling it 'arguably the R&B star's strongest project to date'.[5] At Metacritic, which assigns a normalised rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream publications, the album received an average score of 82, based on 10 critic reviews.[9]Pitchfork gave the album a 7.5, saying that the album's more traditional sound than Fin, 'reaffirms her considerable versatility' and that the album is finished with 'artful finesse'.[10]Rolling Stone gave the album four stars, arguing it was an 'epic tale of love and loss with lush production'.[11] Independent music website The Quietus called the album 'terrific'.[4]The Guardian, giving 3 stars, called the album a 'mixed bag', stating that Syd was stronger on tracks where she collaborated with other artists.[12]Okayplayer included the album on their '22 Best Albums of 2022' list.[13]
