Doja Cat released her third studio album, Planet Her, on June 25. This album is Doja embracing her quirkiness and versatility as an artist with a 14-track concept album that takes place on a fictional and campy planet full of colorful pop-rap and trap. The concept itself is vibrant, but the execution? Not so much. While Planet Her shows off Doja’s personality and diverse musical talents, it ends up being a lot like her last album, Hot Pink: a handful of viral hits, and a whole lot of misses.
What Doja Cat has become known for is infectious pop beats that acutely hold their finger to the pulse of what’s trendy today, evident in her rise to TikTok fame with “Say So.” She’s not afraid to have fun with her songs either, like her initial launch into the public view with “Mooo!”, a song about cows that featured goofy lines like, “Got the methane, I’m a farter.” Doja has never limited herself or allowed critics to put her into a box, often showing off her ability to sing and rap across a multitude of genres flawlessly. More than anything, Doja Cat has cemented herself as a Gen Z artist: a star that can alternate between meme-worthy songs like “Mooo!”, TikTok hits like “Say So,” and several internet scandals that never seem to harm her fame as much as bolster it. Love her or hate her, she somehow has that “it” factor that’s allowed her to make viral hit after viral hit. Going into Planet Her, fans expect the same chaotic but catchy energy that she’s been recognized before, and that’s not quite what Doja delivers.
To be clear, when Planet Her finds its mark, it’s pure gold. Tracks like “Woman” deliver a funky afrobeat that hasn’t been seen since the vocals of “Go Down” from her debut album. The fun, punchy lines of “Get Into It (Yuh)” show off interesting line delivery and cadence in a short but memorable track. “Ain’t Shit,” although not a gem lyrically, stands out as unique from the album as it shows Doja’s range and her personality. And the lead single, “Kiss Me More?” Does anything need to be said about this delicious disco pop-rap treat? It’s a track that shot straight to the top of the charts and stayed there for good reason. It’s a song that perfectly encapsulates the concept of Planet Her and pairs it with dreamy synths, disco beats, and SZA’s cameo.
However, the rest of Planet Her, save for the clear hits, is generic and safe. Doja Cat has shown again and again that she knows how to make a track that’s destined for success, so why fill a much anticipated album with overdone trap instrumentals? Even “You Right” featuring The Weeknd (which seems to be toted as a success) feels like a song you might leave on in the background along with lo-fi beats to help you study. Like many of the lackluster tracks that stud the album, it feels one-dimensional and the vocals vary between airy singing that fails to elevate the song as well as the mediocre chorus. The R&B talents of The Weeknd can’t seem to save this track, especially since his feature doesn’t seem to add much to it (nor do the features by Ariana Grande or JID throughout the album. Tragic). Other than the few stand-out tracks mentioned already, just about every other track on Planet Her falls prey to the same criticisms and weaknesses.
The concept of the album, while fresh and rich in potential for creativity, is also mainly relegated to the music videos. Not much about the songs themselves scream a foreign planet “where all races of space exist, and it’s where all species can kind of be in harmony.” Instead, Doja sticks to what she knows and infuses many tracks with her sassy brand of lyricism, like in “Ain’t Shit:” “Ni**as ain’t shit / Come up in your crib / All up in your fridge / Can’t pay rent.” Not quite kumbaya like the concept suggests, but the visuals in the music videos are definitely where Doja’s idea for Planet Her come to life. As seen in the music videos for “Kiss Me More” and “You Right,” the visuals feature lush landscapes of sunset hues, visually stunning outfits, and crisp, regal Greek architecture.
Where Hot Pink was passable as a success because of how many hits it contained, Planet Her only boasts a handful of songs that hit their mark. Unfortunately, the rest of the tracks come off as unsure of their place in the Planet Her universe, and most feature unimaginative trap instrumentals paired with lackluster vocals and features by popular artists. Take the best of what Planet Her has to offer by listening to the featured singles first (aka any with a music video from the album), and savor visuals that are out of this world.
Chandy is a biology major/chemistry minor who's been a staff writer, Arts editor, and Managing Editor at The Cascade. She began writing in elementary school when she produced Tamagotchi fanfiction to show her peers at school -- she now lives in fear that this may have been her creative peak.
