CUTIEMARKS (And the Things That Bind Us)

CUTIEMARKS (And the Things That Bind Us) is a My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic fan album released by Vylet Pony on July 30, 2021. It is a concept album that explores the lives of My Little Pony characters, as well as Vylet's own life experiences. The album focuses heavily on themes of being LGBT and neurodivergent. Musically, the album can be best described as a mix between Hyperpop and various other genres of Electronic music, with some elements from other genres.Cutiemarks (And the Things That Bind Us, RateYourMusic. (Accessed November 4, 2021) The album's trailer was posted on March 26, 2021. (ALBUM TRAILER) CUTIEMARKS (and the things that bind us) / Epilepsy Warning, YouTube. Uploaded March 26, 2021. (Accessed November 4, 2021)
==Track listing==
# THE THINGS THAT BIND US (feat. CalamariSpider)
# CUTIEMARKS (feat. Chi Chi)
# BONNIE
# ANTONYMPH
# LESBIAN PONIES WITH WEAPONS
# SYNDICATE
# WAYFARER
# I DON'T NEED TO BE FIXED
# PROTAGONIST SYNDROME
# ISOMETRICA
# NONEXISTENT MEET-CUTE [IDLYAM]
# ATYCHIPHOBIA (feat. TCB)
# HARPER (feat. GalaxySquid & AstroEden)
# HOW TO KILL A MONSTER
# IMITATION GAME
# HONEYMOON PHASE [LIMERANCE]
# THE CITY OF THE SILENT
# 37.6486° N, 122.4296° W [SEABOUND] (ft. Sylver Stripe)
# THE KID WHO KEPT RUNNING
==Credits==
* Production, vocals, mixing and mastering - Zelda Trixie Lulamoon (Vylet Pony)
* Track 1 narrated & co-written by Kai (CalamariSpider)
* Track 2 vocals by Chi Chi
* Track 4 co-written by Voreburger, AstroEden, CalamariSpider & Sylver Strype
* Track 10 samples "Souls of Fire" by Sylver Stripe
* Track 12 originally written by TCB, reimagined by Vylet Pony
* Track 13 vocals by GalaxySquid & AstroEden
* Track 18 samples an unreleased song by Vylet Pony & Sylver Stripe
* Album cover illustrated by Nekosnicker
* Booklet & song cover artwork illustrated by Nekosnicker, Mataschmata, CassettePunk, Another Pony Artist, Opossum Stuff & Vylet Pony
==Backstory & meaning==
Vylet has been very open about the backstory of this album and the meanings of each song, particularly on Twitter and YouTube.
Almost every song uses a sample from a song she and some friends recorded as a joke when they were young kids. The sample, which simply says "Sing a song about life", has become a recognizable slogan of sorts for the album and a major part of Vylet's branding.
==Reception==
CUTIEMARKS was met initially with excellent reception, even from fandom outsiders, originally having its average RYM rating above 4 stars. However, this dropped after review bombing, although more people who initially avoided the album for its fandom connection later gave it a chance and gave it good reviews. As of November 2021, it has an average rating of 3.12.
===RateYourMusic charts incident===
When the album first came out, it peaked at the number one spot on RateYourMusic's yearly album chartsThe charts have been updated. @VyletPony - 'Cutiemarks (And the Things That Bind Us)' debuts at #1 in the top albums of 2021., @sonemic on Twitter. Posted August 3, 2021. (Accessed November 4, 2021), briefly dethroning the previous top rated album for the year, Cavalcade by black midi. Because of this, many users reviewbombed the album for its LGBT themes and fandom roots, and it quickly fell down the charts. As of November 2021, it is still in the top 1000 albums for 2021 on the site, sitting at #629.
== Fanart ==
The album has recieved a significant amount of fanart, especially based on the character Fluttgirshy from ANTONYMPH, who is a version of Fluttershy as a scene kid wearing a hoodie of GIR from Invader ZIM. Fluttgirshy has become somewhat of the album's mascot and represents going against cringe culture and enjoying your interests without shame.
Image:Ututane ANTONYMPH.png|Fanart of ANTONYMPH by ututane on Tumblr
Image:Moozua BONNIE.jpg|Fanart of BONNIE by Moozua
==External Links==
* CUTIEMARKS.net - The album's official home page.
==References==
Category:2021 Fanworks
Category:My Little Pony