# Salvation (Rebecca Black album)

Salvation (stylised in all caps) is the second studio album by American singer Rebecca Black. It was released independently on February 27, 2025, after the 2025 California wildfires caused it to be delayed by a month. The album has a stronger hyperpop influence than her previous album, Let Her Burn (2023).
Salvation explores the idealisation of female pop artists, along with themes such as queerhood and its place in religion. It was promoted with three singles, "Trust!", "Sugar Water Cyanide" and "Salvation", along with a tour across North America and Europe. It received mixed reviews upon release, with critics taking issue with the album's lyricism and production.

## Background

Black performed as a disc jockey at a Boiler Room show in September 2024; she ended it with a cover of her 2011 single "Friday" over the instrumental of Charli XCX's "360". Speaking to GRAMMY.com about the set, Black mentioned, "It was honestly one of the best times I've ever had DJing." Black wanted Salvation to be the direct opposite of her previous album, Let Her Burn (2023), calling it "a world of experimentation" and stating that she wanted it to feel "succinct and cohesive."
In an interview with NME about Salvation, Black described it as "really quite different thematically" than Let Her Burn. When speaking about the track "American Doll", she expressed concerns about how female pop artists are expected to be flawless, stating, "You might feel like you're at your most competent and [at a] beautiful moment, but people will still find ways to pick it apart". She also discussed the religious themes of the title track, "Salvation", stating, "The idea of making a song about celebrating your own queerness in a religious context felt like taking back power. It also felt really fun." Speaking with Newsweek, Black mentioned that the goal of the album was to explore.

## Singles and release

Black released the single "Trust!" on October 18, 2024, along with a music video. Speaking with Paper, she stated, "It felt only right to kick off the next project with the loudest and brashest track I've put out yet, and 'TRUST!' embodies the essence of the fearlessness in this project better than anything." "Sugar Water Cyanide" was released on December 5, 2024; Black called it "like if my drug of choice were a person" and said she wanted to "make THAT song you could only really hear on 100% volume in your car or busting through the bass in the club."
The album was promoted with a tour from March to April across North America and Europe, covering the United States, the Netherlands, Germany, Belgium, the United Kingdom, Ireland, and Canada. Salvation was released on February 27, 2025, along with the title track. The album came a month after its planned release due to a delay caused by the 2025 California wildfires. Black called it a "very obvious" decision and stated that she had spent the delay helping friends that had been damaged by the wildfires.

## Reception

Professional ratings :
| Review scores ||
| Source | Rating |
| Paste | 2/10 |
| DIY | |
| The Line of Best Fit | 5/10 |
Upon release, Salvation received mixed reviews from critics. Sam Franzini of The Line of Best Fit gave the album a 5/10 in an ambivalent review; he believed "Do You Even Think About Me?" to be thrilling but thought that the album lacked personality. Franzini stated, "The record is certainly sparkly, but its hollowness is glaring."
Writing for DIY, Otis Robinson gave the album a rating of 4.5 out of 5 stars, stating that it "proves Rebecca Black's got guts, and that it's time she got her flowers." Robinson called Salvation "huge", describing it as "no-skips" and comparing the track "Twist the Knife" to Kylie Minogue and Kim Petras.
Paste music editor Matt Mitchell gave Salvation a 2/10, calling it "the first great pop failure in the wake of Charli xcx's BRAT supremacy." Mitchell criticised the lyricism of the album heavily, finding "American Doll" to be nonsensical and describing "Twist the Knife" as "an even greater blemish on the English language". Mitchell further took issue with the production, labeling songs like "Trust!" and "Do You Ever Think About Me?" as "any raggedy dance track spilling out of department store stereos".

## Track listing

Notes
* "Trust!" is stylised in all caps.

## Personnel

Credits adapted from Tidal.

### Musicians

* Rebecca Black – vocals
* Chris Lyon – production (tracks 1, 5, 6)
* Marcus Andersson – production (tracks 1, 5, 6)
* Stint – production (track 2)
* Nightfeelings – production (tracks 3, 4)
* Medium – production (track 4)
* Johan Lenox – production (track 7)
* Novodor – production (track 7)
* Zhone – production (track 7)
* Lauren Aquilina – songwriting (track 1)
* Clara Sofie Blom Christensen – songwriting (track 4)
* Jesse Saint John – songwriting (track 7)

### Technical

* Lars Stalfors – mixing
* Alan JS Han – mixing
* John Greenham – mastering
* Matt Boerum – mastering