Music Review: Katy Perry Returns with the Uninspired and Forgettable ‘143’

 Katy Perry attends the MTV Video Music Awards in Elmont, New York, US, September 11, 2024. (Reuters)
Katy Perry attends the MTV Video Music Awards in Elmont, New York, US, September 11, 2024. (Reuters)
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Music Review: Katy Perry Returns with the Uninspired and Forgettable ‘143’

 Katy Perry attends the MTV Video Music Awards in Elmont, New York, US, September 11, 2024. (Reuters)
Katy Perry attends the MTV Video Music Awards in Elmont, New York, US, September 11, 2024. (Reuters)

Katy Perry's new album title, “143,” is code for “I love you,” based on the number of letters in each word of the phrase. She may love us, but the album is more like 144 — “I made mush.”

Perry's first LP since 2020’s lackluster “Smile” is just as lackluster, an 11-track blur of thick electronic programming and simplistic lyrics. There's none of her past cheeky humor, virtually no personality. Even the title is filler.

The rollout has been snakebit from the jump, with the artist under fire for collaborating with music producer Dr. Luke and the video for “Woman’s World” emerging as a sloppy, puzzling attempt at satire. Then her video shoot on a Spanish beach for “Lifetimes” was investigated for potential environmental damage.

It doesn’t help that the first three singles are just OK. “Woman’s World” is a frothy Lady Gaga-esque arena pop anthem, the techno-stomper “Lifetimes” smacks of Calvin Harris from the 2010s and “I’m His, He’s Mine,” featuring Doechii, lazily lifts Crystal Waters’ “Gypsy Woman (She’s Homeless)” from 1991. It’s a trio of tunes that doesn’t scream 578 (“Katy's totally relevant”).

“Gimme Gimme,” featuring 21 Savage, just lacks bite, a nursery rhyme from a new mother masquerading as a pop song (with crib-adjacent lyrics like “Say the right thing, maybe you can be/Crawling on me, like a centipede”).

“Crush” isn’t bad, but it’s built on the repetitive, unyielding synths you’d find in Eastern European discos in the ’90s. That’s a complaint for all the Dr. Luke tracks, really — Perry may rue their reunion simply based on the ugly, unsophisticated production. “All the Love” has the phrase “back to me” repeated 23 times during its 3:15 length.

“My intuition’s telling me things ain’t right,” she sings on “Truth,” a lyric that may sum up her album and a song that includes a fake voicemail at the end. Other artists are incorporating real dialogue and recorded snippets of their lives. Perry is faking it.

She has always preferred gangs of songwriters, but “143” pushes it to an insane level, with “Nirvana” credited to an even dozen. Listen to it and see if 12 songwriters were necessary for a song that sounds like a warmed-over club track from La Bouche.

If the best song on “143” is “Lifetimes,” the worst is easily the closer, a sticky-sweet, wide-eyed plea for innocence in “Wonder,” sticking out like a sore thumb. This is a cynical attempt to have moms in the audience wave their hands in unison as balloons float up, even as it decries cynicism.

“One day when we're older/Will we still look up in wonder?” she sings, name-checking her daughter, Daisy, who also makes a cute appearance. But by this point, she's lost our trust, with the 10 previous songs a sonic slog. “143” has no soul or emotion; it's just a number.



FIFA Signs Netflix to US Broadcast Deal for Women's World Cup in 2027, 2031

The Netflix logo is displayed at Netflix corporate offices on September 25, 2023 in Los Angeles, California. (Getty Images/AFP)
The Netflix logo is displayed at Netflix corporate offices on September 25, 2023 in Los Angeles, California. (Getty Images/AFP)
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FIFA Signs Netflix to US Broadcast Deal for Women's World Cup in 2027, 2031

The Netflix logo is displayed at Netflix corporate offices on September 25, 2023 in Los Angeles, California. (Getty Images/AFP)
The Netflix logo is displayed at Netflix corporate offices on September 25, 2023 in Los Angeles, California. (Getty Images/AFP)

FIFA has signed Netflix to a United States broadcast deal for the Women's World Cup in 2027 and 2031.

The deal announced Friday is the most significant FIFA has signed with a streaming service for a major tournament. The value was not given.

World Cups are typically broadcast on free-to-air public networks to reach the biggest audiences.

FIFA president Gianni Infantino publicly criticized public broadcasters, especially in Europe, for undervaluing offers to broadcast the 2023 tournament that was played in Australia and New Zealand. That tournament was broadcast by Fox in the US, The AP reported.

"This agreement sends a strong message about the real value of the FIFA Women’s World Cup and the global women’s game," Infantino said Friday in a statement.

FIFA will likely use the Netflix deal to drive talks with European broadcasters that will be more hardball negotiations.

The 32-team, 64-game tournament in 2027 will be played in Brazil from June 24-July 25. The 2031 host has not been decided, though the US is expected to bid.

Spain won the 2023 tournament after the US won the two previous titles.

Netflix dipped into live sports last month with more than 60 million households watching a heavily hyped boxing match between retired heavyweight legend Mike Tyson and social media personality Jake Paul.