Monoliths

## Singles from Monoliths

1. "Rupture"
Released: November 10, 2023

2. "Pyre"
Released: November 17, 2023

3. "Roses on Parade"
Released: November 24, 2023

4. "Conductor"
Released: December 1, 2023

5. "Taste of Metal"
Released: December 8, 2023

***Monoliths*** is the seventh studio album by Australian singer-songwriter Troye Sivan. It was released on November 10, 2023 through Atlantic Records. Surprise announced on November 6, 2023, days prior to its release, *Monoliths* marks Sivan's first full length studio album since 2021's *MANIA* and its companion piece *HYPER*. It is an introspective concept album about the foundations of Sivan's being, written, produced and conducted entirely on his own.

Inspired by his personal experiences through his life, *Monoliths* explores his very public relationship and marriage to Grant Gustin from his perspective for the first time in his music, deals with topics of anxiety, insecurity, depression, and past trauma. In a departure from his previous storytelling songwriting, Sivan takes on a confessional perspective and shares his candid feelings. Sonically and thematically, it takes inspiration from film scores, utilizing an orchestra as its main foundation in which Sivan experiments as a producer by contrasting with industrial elements.

*Monoliths* was met with critical and commercial acclaim, with many citing it as his best and most realized work, praising the unique sound palette chosen for his, and his ability to adapt and take on new challenges. The album won Sivan his second award for Album of the Season at the Billboard Music Awards, and third award in a row for Best Album Art. To support the record, Sivan performed at "Unintentional Dystopia," a one-off concert at the Royal Albert Hall, on November 18.

## Background and recording

Following the release of his Greatest Hits album *King's Gambit*, Sivan prioritized his role as a music producer and focused on more collaborative work. Most notably, he served as the executive producer for Doja Cat's *Doja Demolition*, a retro album inspired by rave music. In the process of finding collaborations, he was reached out by Rihanna and The Weeknd for a follow-up record to 2021's *Earth, Water & Fire*, this time adding P!nk to the record's sessions. It eventually became *Earth, Water, Fire & Air*, which was released on March 24, 2023. Sivan credits this album as "filling [his] quota for pop music" in that year. He continues his collaborative works with his usual partner and husband Grant Gustin, and working with Taylor Swift, Björk, as well as Florence Welch and Ryan Gosling.

After multiple claims of musical retirement, which he claims were "just for the fun of pretending," Sivan commented his desire to never stop making music. The idea for Monoliths was born after a desire to take the experimental sound of MANIA even further, picking the orchestral influences and making it the foundation of the new record.

Monoliths was recorded in Sivan's home studio, written and produced entirely on his own in between various side projects. The orchestra was recorded on Abbey Road Studios, where he comments of daring to take on the role of the conductor himself, a theme which inspired the music and the promotional material around the album.

## Music and lyrics

With a collection of his most confessional tracks to date, Monoliths find Troye Sivan at his strongest and most peaceful. “This album forced me to face so many parts of myself that I kept repressing as my life went on,” he shares, “the healthiest thing I could do was let it all out through music, which is the only right process for me.”

Conceptualised like a film’s score, an orchestra takes the leading role in the music, featuring violins as the stylistic focus and recurring melodies that feature throughout multiple tracks help make the experience feel like a single story. With visuals promised to be coming at a later date, the record paints a complete picture through its music, so vivid and full of life. “As a first in my career, I made this album putting myself before the audiences. I knew what I wanted to make wasn’t the most accessible, and still I felt secure in doing it, regardless of what the reception to it would be,” he confesses.

### Songs

The album opens with a glimpse into Troye Sivan's inner turmoil, as he openly discusses themes of self-loathing and doubt in the song "Victim Number One." This is in stark contrast to the peaceful state he seems to be in by the end of the album. The emotional journey remains the core of the record, and it packs the emotional weight dispersed throughout the album. Carrying into “Windless”, he opens up about his feelings in his marriage. He confesses his fears of commitment and being unable to live up to his partner’s expectations. On the other hand, this is contrasted by his love and found comfort in someone who he feels open and calm with, creating a torn but realistic state of mind he feels constantly trapped in, wanting to find peace.

In “Threefold,” he takes a dramatised approach to promising repercussions on people who have wronged him in the past, expressing an inability to let go and seeking revenge. In becoming consumed by his anger and hatred, he fails to recognize the pain he’s inflicting to his loved ones around him. Continuing with the reminders of his past, he also reminisces on previous relationships, with “Roses on Parade” transporting listeners back to a person who left him so broken he still can’t feel fully healed from, and instead, feels like the thorns of the memory are on display wherever he goes, hoping that at least, the same goes the other way around.

In “He Wishes He Were a Criminal,”  Sivan steps away from the confessional writing style and instead returns to storytelling through a tale of cowardice and ego. The song’s main character presents himself as someone they can never live up to, always trying to leave their weakness and smallness behind. However, their cowardice eventually catches up to them and crumbles them entirely. At the end of the song, Sivan switches perspectives and places himself in the same position, questioning whether he is just as weak and cowardly as the character he created.

The following tracks, “Lanterns” and “Watch the Darkness” are thematically linked, with the former exploring the idea of light bringing up past trauma to the surface, while the latter acts as a defence mechanism, resorting to hiding and closing off into a state of depression and introspection. Creating a powerful narrative about the process of healing, the pair represent two sides of the same coin, with hope and light getting shunned by darkness and despair. “Taste of Metal” hides its tender and vulnerable themes under the imposing piece of music. Opposing his playful and sexual persona, the track showcases a more personal reality where he confesses a fear of intimacy that even if feeling emotionally connected and close to his partner, he can’t avoid walls closing in around him.

“Rupture” questions our origins and place in the universe, a complete defragmentation of the self in the search for answers, for purpose, ones that reach far beyond the small scope of ourselves and instead encompasses the complex system around us. After losing control of his life, Sivan shares about finding himself again in “Conductor,” a track with references to not only regaining himself, but of doing so particularly through music, his true passion and creative outlet. It pushes the emotional conclusion of the record, of growing comfortable within himself.

“Pyre” closes the album with a dark and introspective song that reflects on the journey Sivan took throughout the album. The song pictures Sivan preparing a funeral for himself, symbolising his death to his old self. He sings about his feelings about death, his lack of fear of it, and his core belief that he will be emotionally reborn. He closes the loop of self-hate and self-healing, before realising it is endless and inevitable, and becoming at peace with it, embracing it.

## Title and Artwork

The artwork for the album is inspired by a science-fiction, post-apocalyptic, and industrial landscape that haunted Sivan’s mind during the process of making the album. It shows him as a detached, larger-than-life figure looking down on everything, rather than taking part in it himself. The artwork for the singles, on the other hand, are inspired by cyanotypes by botanist and photographer Anna Atkins, creating a striking contrast between it and the album artwork.

## Release and Promotion

*Monoliths* was released on November 10, 2023 through Atlantic Records. It was announced by Sivan on his social media accounts days prior with no notice, with the singer unveiling its title, artwork, and release date in one post, featuring a written prologue, a theme that would follow on all of his related announcements. The following day, the singer released individual snippets of every track, serving as its track-listing reveal. The record was made available for digital download and streaming, as well as in various physical formats, including multiple vinyl pressings, and a hardbook CD. A new edition of the record, *Original Score from Monoliths*, was unveiled the following week, featuring 13 tracks, a mix of orchestral interludes and new full songs.

### Singles

The album was supported by three official singles and two promotional singles. "Rupture" served as its lead single, released on November 10 alongside the record itself, it debuted at #1 on the *Billboard Hot Singles Chart* and becoming Sivan's second single as a lead artist to be Diamond certified. It was supported by a "Film Edit" reissue, releasing along its short film. "Roses on Parade" was soon released as the record's second single on November 24, 2023, with the third single, "Taste of Metal", releasing on December 8, 2023. Both singles reached a peak of #6 on the *Hot Singles Chart*, with the former becoming Platinum certified after the release of a "Poem Version".

"Pyre" was released as the album's first promotional single. With a new edit, it was simultaneously announced as Sivan's entry for the first ever Futurevision Song Contest, where it eventually became the winner of the event. "Conductor" was released as the second promotional single, alongside its b-side, "Conductor - Live from The Royal Albert Hall", supporting Sivan's second live album *Unintentional Dystopia*.

RupturePyreRoses on ParadeConductorTaste of Metal
### Performances

*Main article: Unintentional Dystopia: Monoliths, Live from The Royal Albert Hall*
On November 14, a day after the announcement of *Original Score from Monoliths*, Sivan announced through social media that he'd be holding a special, one-night only concert titled "Unintentional Dystopia" at the Royal Albert Hall on November 18. The special concert featured a live orchestra and choir, both of which were conducted by Sivan himself. A live recording of the show was released as his second live album under the same name, on December 1, 2023.

## Critical Reception

Upon release, *Monoliths* was hailed by music critics and industry peers alike. At Metacritic, the album received an aggregated critic score of 80, indicating "universal acclaim", and a user score of 8.1, making it Sivan's highest rated on both metrics. Critics pointed out "Lanterns" and "Pyre" as album highlights. Rihanna called it "the best thing" she's seen in her life, and also referenced it during her ROCFest Event; P!nk noted the greek mythology inspirations on the album artwork.

### Accolades

**Billboard Music Awards and nominations for *Monoliths***

 Best Album Art

## Commercial Performance

*Monoliths* debuted on the *Billboard Top Albums Chart* at the number-one spot with 97.33 points, while "Rupture" simultaneously debuted on the *Billboard Hot Singles Chart* at the number-one spot with 96.51 points. Both releases became diamond certified at the end of their chart runs, with *Monoliths* reaching 304.16 points, and "Rupture" reaching 308.76 points, becoming his first album to do so since *Kairos*, and first single to do so since "Mad".

## Track Listing

All tracks written, produced and conducted by Troye Sivan.

**Monoliths**

**Original Score from Monoliths**