Kesha’s ‘Gag Order’ Is an Art Pop Juggernaut

What has always made Kesha so beloved as a pop star is her proclivity for stamping her personality across every measure of every song. From the irreverent party anthems that constituted her earliest hits—classic lines such as “lookin’ sick and sexy-fied” from “We R Who We R” and “we been keepin’ it PG/but I wanna get a little frisky” from “C’mon” immediately stand out in my mind—to some incredible rhapsodic deep cuts such as “The Harold Song” and “Spaceship,” Kesha cannot seem to shake her wonderfully eccentric personality from both her lyrical and her vocal performances. When it comes to Animals (how she affectionately refers to us fans), many of us had thought her artistic peak must have been 2017’s astonishing pop-rock tour de force Rainbow, but with Gag Order, Kesha reaches an equally excellent art pop ideal. With all its idiosyncrasies, it deserves a full track-by-track rundown! Let’s get into it.

“Something to Believe In” kicks off the album, with a melodramatic progressive pop flourish—including martial beats and spooky harmonies—that culminates in a sort of Banks meets Stevie Wonder funky synthline. The end of the track is once again a layered harmony, which carries over into the next track, lead single, “Eat the Acid.” What makes “Eat the Acid” so bizarrely breathtaking for me has always been its staunch refusal of the pop formula possessed by all of her previous lead singles. In this song, Kesha reels in a hybrid of a recollection of her mother warning her to never do psychedelics and a recounting of an early COVID-era spiritual awakening.

The following track, “Living in My Head,” is an entire 180. It is a lovely, spare folk track in the tradition of songwriters such as Nick Drake and Sandy Denny. Kesha’s harmonies feel simultaneously vulnerable and comforting like she is baring her soul, screaming into a cold waterfall on a hot summer day. Though at first, its placement may seem befuddling, on repeat listenings, “Living in My Head” reveals itself to be among the finest tunes on the record, and would essentially work anywhere on the track list. “Fine Line” returns to the art pop palettes, with the most hopeful chord progression yet. “Fine Line” was the b-side of “Eat the Acid” and feels like the true mission statement of the album: visceral resilience in the face of major tragedy. The entire album—starting with none other than the judicially-minded album title—is founded not only on Kesha’s ongoing public battle with producer Dr. Luke, but also on the journeys of self-love so many millennials and zoomers struggle with daily. Fake the confidence til you make it, as the classic adage goes.

Track five (and biggest bop here) is the gospel-pop-rock hymn “Only Love Can Save Us Now.” The mass appeal of this song is instantly noticeable, as Kesha returns to the sassy rap verses and explosive choruses of her early career, yet somehow the song feels ultra-confident and deliciously fresh. The delightful lullaby “All I Need Is You” is the salve to the ferocity of “Only Love Can Save Us Now.” What comes next is arguably the most experimental track, the techno-meets-St. Vincent-then-nods-cap-to-Fiona Apple banger “The Drama.” The stages of the track fluctuate dizzyingly from dance-pop to a mental breakdown of a chorus to a silly yet mildly disturbing medley of a Fetch the Bolt Cutters chant with an interpolation of The Ramones’ “I Wanna Be Sedated.” It makes for an uncomfortable and electrifying listen and sort of feels like the musical equivalent of the album cover. The two 75-second interludes on the album are cute, and add a nice flow to the latter half of the album. 

“Too Far Gone” is another gorgeous—yet all-too-brief—ballad, but it is somewhat eclipsed by the following track “Peace & Quiet,” which is the second most instant banger on the album after the pop perfection of “Only Love Can Save Us Now.” It feels like FKA twigs and Kimbra meeting Kesha and having a ball in a gravitron. It is viral single material and will go down as a Kesha classic! Penultimate track “Hate Me Harder” is as spare as “Living in My Head” and precisely as effective. It feels like the completely sane follow-up to other tragic beauties such as “Praying” or 2020’s “Shadow.” High praise, indeed.

The closing statement, “Happy,” is a baroque stunner, feeling like the logical successor to Rainbow’s “Spaceship.” Soaring harmonies, subtle celli, guitar strums, and elegant piano soundtrack Kesha’s story so far. Light trumpets, tambourine, harp, and the sound of an aircraft taking off bring the track to its finishing statements. And what now? Without purposeful redundancy, I must conclude that Kesha’s musical journey seems to be just starting. A fun career as a hitmaker, and now an almost Kate Bushian musical evolution. Kesha is not simply flourishing in pop music, she is crafting the soundtrack to a volatile society. 

Genres and textures: Progressive pop, art pop, psychedelic pop, electronica… Harmony-heavy, atmospheric, turbulent, vulnerable, uplifting…

Instant highlights: “Eat the Acid,” “Living in My Head,” “Only Love Can Save Us Now,” “All I Need Is You,” “Peace & Quiet,” “Happy” 

Let these grow on you: “Fine Line,” “The Drama”

Score: 9.2/10