REVIEW
REVIEW
☆ BY KATHERINE CHUNG ☆
Alex Lang
LOLA VIOLET IS A SCENE STEALER—with her sophomore album, ULTRAVIOLET. Out October 23, the album tells a chapter of Violet’s story as an independent artist navigating pressure and viral visions others have. Rather than having one meaning per song, each song has a double meaning.
ULTRAVIOLET arrives just a year after Violet’s debut release, Reckless Attraction, a project deeply rooted in the complexities of loving someone else. While her signature Y2K-inspired electronic dance-pop sound remains intact, this new chapter marks a distinct shift in attitude. Instead of crying to electronic beats in the background, Violet is fully embracing her passion on the dance floor.
The record is not only a story of resilience but also about having the motivation to say yes to a vision that feels right for herself. “Vision” is loud, bold, and unapologetic. It opens with a lyric about being a girl in the galaxy, and each chorus continues with a “bye bye bye,” Noting that this is Lola’s universe, and whoever is gonna stop her can say bye. Each beat of the track gets higher and louder, emphasizing that Violet is there to “make a scene.” But most energetically and expressively, she sings, “I am going to trust my vision, even if you don’t see it.”
In “PRESSURE,” Violet is using her voice to raise awareness for other independent artists. Instead of talking about her vision, she says it is okay to feel fatigued while creating independently in an industry where creatives feel pressure to go viral or be the next big thing. “She won’t love me as you do” emphasizes that people won’t love the version of herself that she loves.
“DANGEROUS” discusses Violet’s confidence rising. It ends the chapter with a hopeful mindset for the future. At the beginning of the album, Violet discusses how other people’s rejection can change her vision of her work. By the end of “DANGEROUS,” Lola Violet is no longer questioning why someone doesn’t want to work with her; it ends with the statement that someone will see her vision. “You tell me you change your mind/ then you change your mind. / It’s almost unbearable to be so irresistible / I’m dangerous.”
