Dove Cameron, former Disney star turned pop artist, released her debut album on Dec. 1, titled Alchemical: Volume 1. The album features eight tracks, including three songs released over the past year. Cameron’s new album represents a fresh, grungy era for the artist with a style of music highlighted by undertones of sexual empowerment, appealing to a widespread audience as she ascends to one of the top rising artists for Gen Z listeners.
Cameron first announced her album to the public in September 2022 while on stage at the MTV Video Music Awards. She released the album’s lead single, “Boyfriend,” in 2022, and the track immediately skyrocketed to the top of Billboard’s top 100 list. The lyrics of “Boyfriend,” sealed Cameron’s queer identity. After opening up about her sexual orientation through the song’s lyrics, it went viral on TikTok as a celebrated LGBTQ+ anthem. After “Boyfriend” took off, Cameron deleted her old music from Spotify and other music platforms to separate herself from her previous release which had a much more naive and Disney-esque feel.
Dove Cameron’s song “Breakfast,” was released in 2023 and drew lots of attention from the public. The song’s striking lyrics like, “I eat boys like you for breakfast,” allude to Cameron’s new “villain arc” era. Its previously released music video on YouTube advocates for abortion rights as Cameron sings her female-empowering message. “Breakfast” takes the lead in Cameron’s newly reinvented identity as fans become enveloped in her new chapter, which closely resembles Taylor Swift’s Reputation era, and anticipate the second volume of Alchemical.
Cameron sharpens her talons on the first track of the album, “Lethal Women.” The song’s edgy and vengeful tone from the very first line captures listeners in a trance. “Lethal Woman” established the new direction Cameron is heading in with her music and sparked the attention of a large audience. This song delivers a progressive twist on some of the artist’s earlier releases and draws listeners into the rest of the album, hungry for more of her new creations.
The authentically gothic track, “God’s Game,” explores some of the artist’s deeper vulnerabilities while staying true to celebrating her identity. Though the song’s tone differs from her previously released songs like “Boyfriend” and “Breakfast,” it continues to delve into the album’s villain-like aesthetic in a more original way adding an electronic and ethereal sound to the album.
“I try to fight to get you out of my brain but like a bloodstain, you remain, just a boy with a man’s face, playin’ god’s game,” Cameron sings in “God’s Game.”
The chorus delves into the all-too-relatable tale of manipulation and power dynamics in relationships and adds a more personal feel to the album. Her thought-out lyrics and sad tone help ground the album’s angsty and evolutionary feminine style and is the perfect add to anybody’s pump-up playlist.
“I’m excited to feel like my music is actually allowing me to be the person I’ve always been, rather than the projected archetype of the person that I thought people needed me to be, wherever I was in my life at the time,” Cameron told Teen Vogue in an interview on her debut album.
Alchemical: Volume 1 delivers a celebration of Cameron’s queer and powerful identity, which she has opened up to the public about in the past year. The album uncovers Cameron’s personality and digs deep into her complex emotions and experiences, wholeheartedly deserving four out of five feathers.
