Malcolm Todd leverages emotion, genre fluidity once more in ‘Do That Again’
“Do That Again,” Malcolm Todd’s third album, delivers catchy and relatable lines as he opens up about past intimate relationships. Todd’s vulnerability is what has allowed the artist to become the epitome of Gen Z music, our columnist says. Emma Soto | Illustration Editor
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In many ways, Malcolm Todd epitomizes Generation Z music.
Known for using YouTube, TikTok and Instagram to advance his “wholesome rockstar” persona and music, the 22-year-old Los Angeles native predominantly sings about chasing love in his relationships.
Through heavy electric guitar songs that rarely last more than four minutes and accentuate his melodic voice, Todd varies between being categorized as an indie rock, indie pop, R&B and bedroom pop singer.
His first full-length album, “Sweet Boy,” included the hit singles “Art House” and “Roommates,” which first made Todd popular on TikTok. His self-titled album, “Malcolm Todd,” featuring the well-known TikTok song “Chest Pain (I Love),” skyrocketed his stardom beyond just the app.
Todd’s third full-length album, “Do That Again,” is his most vulnerable album yet. The album, which was released Friday, delves into Todd’s psyche while dancing across multiple genres and delivering catchy, relatable lines.
Ranging from the thrill of a hookup to suffering depression from seeing a lover drift away, Todd’s carefully curated 13-song, 36-minute album is one of his most complete and digestible records from start to end.
Though the album’s opener, “Jean Skirt,” lasts just 59 seconds and features only 10 lines, each lyric conveys Todd’s recounting of an intimate encounter with a woman he grows increasingly fixated on throughout the album. The short-and-sweet opener is a precursor to the rest of the album, in which Todd goes back and forth about whether to chase after a woman he once had a relationship with.
“I had my tank top / you had your jean skirt / And now they’re on the floor,” he sings.
“Obsessica” is a combination of the word obsessed and the name Rebecca, a character mentioned in the song. However, the track isn’t about only Rebecca or any one woman. Todd uses 15 female names in the song’s outro, even saying he’s talking to “Melissa’s” sister, cousin and mom — further illustrating how Todd’s obsession with women can be devoid of any particular one.
The third song on the album, “Free.99,” dives deeper into the depressive state he suffered from when a previous relationship ended. At first, he believes his relationship is suffocating him, so he ends it to get space. However, Todd quickly realizes the connection was what made him free, and he yearns to be with the woman again so he can escape being lonely.
Todd’s first single from the album, “Breathe,” which has garnered almost 40 million Spotify streams since its March release, is an attempt to restore that broken association.
“Breathe into me / Don’t you miss it? It’s been so long / If you would leave it to me / I could teach you what you forgot / I’ll tell ya, baby,” serves as the chorus for the R&B song and acts as an act of desperation from Todd to rekindle the relationship.
However, “I Saw Your Face” — the second single from the album — details how Todd doesn’t know what to say to his love interest. When Todd sees her outside, he begins to understand their feelings for each other aren’t mutual.
“You hate me now, but I loved you first / I love you more than you will know / For that reason I let you go / ‘Cause I’m not the one you dream about,” Todd sings.
Still, Todd measures whether it was worth it to get his heart broken again. In “Difficult Love,” which was used to tease the album’s tracklist, he admits he’s still physically attracted to the girl and her toxic qualities. Todd again questions whether she dreams about him in “Malcolm In The Middle,” while in “Ain’t That The Truth” and “Gun To My Head,” he lists all the reasons he should move on, but can’t bring himself to do it because he can’t find love elsewhere.
In the 10th song on the album, “X’s & O’s,” Todd leaves a voicemail, where he refers to himself as her boyfriend, but then quickly backtracks, saying he doesn’t know what he is to her anymore. Then he begins to admit the relationship is over, though still refers to the girl as his wife.
When he isn’t with her, Todd struggles to muster the courage to leave home. He sings about his mattress on the floor and his doorbell ringing only when the food he ordered online arrives in “Lonely Song,” which also features the album’s overall poignant sound.
“Feeling fine, feeling news, I’m a mess / That’s two lies and a truth, I’m lonely / Kicking ass, taking names, feeling blue / That’s two lies and a truth, I’m lonely,” Todd sings.
The penultimate song, “Good Bye,” opens with a smooth guitar riff, then proceeds to showcase Todd’s inability to move on from the relationship. He proclaims he wants to die and cry because their relationship is over, but he never truly says farewell.
The album’s closer and title track, “Do That Again,” is exactly what Todd has been trying to achieve this entire album. He’s too scared to move on, so he re-enters the loop of trying to gain her attention and rewind back to when they were together.
It might work, or it might not, but the fact that “Do That Again” is the last song on his eclectic album — which took us through Todd’s true, sometimes damaging emotions from previous relationships — is purposeful.
These thoughts are going through Todd’s head again and again.
