Released: January 27
Ava Max continues her pop domination with her second album of wall-to-wall bangers.
The follow-up to 2019’s ‘Heaven & Hell’ follows a turbulent period in the musician’s life and is described by the hitmaker as “heartbreak on the dance floor”.
“I was in a really long relationship and no one knows this about me because I never talk about my personal life… but then it changed,” she told Zane Lowe on Apple Music 1 of the creative process.
“This album is about my life and what I went through in the last year… It’s gonna make you cry and dance at the same time.”
Opening with the empowering Million Dollar Baby, featuring an interpolation of LeAnn Rimes’ Can’t Fight The Moonlight, the LP begins on a high, and across 14 tracks Ava examines not only the breakup itself but the lasting effects as she attempts to move on with her life and get over the separation.
The juxtaposition of uptempo club-friendly beats and piercing lyrics is notable on pre-release track Maybe You’re The Problem – a pointed shout out to her ex that tackles the demise of their relationship – while track Weapons is another stellar pop anthem on which she declares: ‘Stop using your words as weapons / They’re never gonna shoot me down’.
‘Diamonds & Dancefloors’ features some of the star’s most personal lyrics to date, with Hold Up, Wait a Minute in particular a cutting moment that recalls the moment she uncovered her partner’s infidelity, while One Of Us highlights their differing attitudes to romance.
‘One of us would die for love / One of us would give it up / One of us would risk it all / One of us won’t even call’ she declares on what may be her finest pop moment to date.
By the time closing track Dancing’s Done comes around, Ava remerges with a fresh new outlook and, having unburdened herself of her recent heartbreak, is ready to move on with her life. ‘I wanna give in to your dark temptation / I wanna touch you like nobody does / People like you and me were born to run / So where we going when the dancing’s done?’ she sings over the chorus, referencing Alice Cooper’s Poison, while bringing the narrative of the album full-circle.
Since launching her career in 2018, Ava’s scored an impressive run of hits, including five UK Top 20 singles and the chart-topping Sweet but Psycho, but on ‘Diamonds & Dancefloors’ she proves herself as a top-tier artist, delivering a collection that builds upon the sound of her debut while serving substance that brings listeners closer than ever to the real Ava Max.
‘Diamonds & Dancefloors’ is available now.
