It’s here and it’s bringing all the glitzy pop hits we knew it would. Ava Max’s second LP Diamonds & Dancefloors has arrived in all its electropop glory just in time to empower us for Valentine’s Day.
The 14-tracked album was released on the 27th January and includes the five strong singles ‘Million Dollar Baby’, ‘Weapons’, ‘Dancing’s Done’, ‘One of Us’, and of course the catchy lead ‘Maybe You’re the Problem’. Ava successfully tantalised us by teasing clips of tracks from the album with Instagram reels which counted down the hours until its release – now the wait is over!
Encompassing all the best parts of dance-pop, electropop, synthpop, and euro house, Ava Max has turned out a short but sweet album full of tasty treats and uplifting beats. On Diamonds & Dancefloors,Ava’s former heartbreak is evident with many of the songs detailing the events that lead to the breakdown of her relationship. However, as the title implies from her sorrow, she has emerged shining and more powerful and ready with the hits that we can tear up the dancefloor to. Read our run-through of what you can expect from this whirlwind pop record.
Starting with a bang, the album begins with the already popular single ‘Million Dollar Baby’, which has 27M views on YouTube and has charted in multiple countries worldwide. Ava Max sings about herself in third person, letting us know that despite her heartbreak “She’s comin’ back to life” and will turn “tears to diamonds”. With its infectious club beat it’s the song that will mend the broken heart and get you up and dancing again.
Ava plays the femme fatale in the playful ‘Sleepwalker’ in which she warns the man that’s pursuing her that she’ll make him obsessed with her. With a distinctly 80s-inspired synth solo and unforgettable chorus, it’s a bop for certain. We can see why Ava called in one of her favourites on the album in an interview with Apple Music.
On the sugary ‘Maybe You’re the Problem’, which peaked at number 83 on the UK Singles chart, Max has had it with her ex-boyfriend who always blames her for their fights. In this exhilarating (and relatable) song she lets off steam and tells him to “Take your little finger and just point it in the mirror/Baby, maybe you’re the problem” and we’re singing along with her.
‘Ghost’ is a euro-house banger that you can expect to hear in the club soon. Ava stresses over bumping into her ex and imagines him following her around town. Despite its anxious lyrics it’s another track that’ll have you on the dancefloor.
Ava refuses to compete with her man’s ex in the electro track ‘Hold Up (Wait A Minute)’ and tells him “Bye, bye, I don’t need your lyin” when she catches him messaging someone else. With the snappy vocalisations and pounding synths it’s a song we won’t be forgetting soon.
The third single from the album ‘Weapons’ is another standout bop from the pop singer with Ava pleading with someone to stop trying to hurt her with their words because it’s useless telling them “My love is gonna drown you out”. Fans are divided as to whether the lyrics are directed at a lover or the online hate that celebrities receive daily. Either way the lines “You wanna fight? Do you wanna dance?/ ‘Cause tonight might be the only chance” have us hooked.
The titular track is another house track that has us gripped with its thumping beat and glam instrumentals. Written during the pandemic, Max told Apple Music, “The song is really talking about wanting to be on the dance floor, not in my living room, watching another TV show during the pandemic. I wished the world would open. I wanted to be covered in glitter and diamonds on the dance floor”. Now that the floor is once again ready to be boogied on we’re looking forward to dancing to this one.
One of our favourites on the LP is the bassy ‘In The Dark’ which features Ava sweetly questioning why her guy only sees her at night. With twinkling synths, popping instrumentals, and classic DnB-influenced breaks we can’t get enough of it.
‘Turn of the Lights’ is a blissful disco track perfect for when you’re feeling on cloud nine and need something with a great build to shimmy to.
The tenth track ‘One of Us’ tells the story of a toxic ex who is indifferent to his relationship with the gorgeous pop singer. Ava called it “the most intense song I’ve ever written, recorded, and probably will perform” in an interview with Apple Music. Fittingly the visualiser for ‘One of Us’, released alongside the album, displays Ava buried six feet deep in a gorgeous lace wedding dress complete with white gloves and a veil. Lighting creates a strobe effect on the singer as she pours her heart out to the heartbreak anthem. The blonde bride is then adorned with rose petals by several gothic widowing red-haired versions of herself wearing very Morticia Adams gowns.
Cutting off a relationship is one thing but as Ava knows getting over a guy is another. In ‘Get Out of My Head’ she struggles to move on from her ex whilst referencing the 90s flick starring Sarah Michelle Gellar, I Know What You Did Last Summer. Its repetitive beat will have even the saddest of girlies dancing along.
In the nocturnal cool ‘Cold As Ice’ Max takes back the power by warning her potential suitor that he is headed for danger and flashes us back to the ‘Sweet but Psycho’ days with the line “I’m just a little bit out of my mind”. We’re loving the 80s-inspired moody synth.
The penultimate track ‘Last Night On Earth’ sounds futuristic and retro at the same time due to the nostalgic synths meshing with Max’s modern vocal style. Taking inspiration from apocalyptic films it’s giving us the energy for a few more dances before we head home for the night. Appropriately, ‘Dancing’s Done’ is the closer to the album. Sexy, dark, and captivating – Ava asks us what our plans are for the rest of the night. Listening to the album again, duh!
Words By: Molly Sutherland
Header Image: @avamax
