Rina Sawayama has released her sophomore studio album. Hold the Girl, the pop artist’s long-awaited follow-up to 2020’s SAWAYAMA, is out now via Dirty Hit.
Like SAWAYAMA, Hold the Girl is an amalgam of genres spanning grunge, country, EDM, and more, tied together with the Japanese-British artist’s keen ear for pop. The record comprises 13 tracks, a few of which Sawayama shared as singles: The belt-worthy title track, the rock-tinged “Catch Me in the Air,” the power ballad “Phantom,” and the rodeo banger “This Hell” — the latter of which we crowned Song of the Week.
In her album review, Mary Siroky writes: “What Sawayama has successfully captured with Hold the Girl is the healing power of pop music, and the catharsis that can come just as easily with an arena-ready banger as it can with a feral scream.” Yes, please. Stream Hold the Girl via Spotify or Apple Music below.
Sawyama rang in 2022 by teaming up with Charli XCX for the club heater “Beg for You.” Next spring, she’ll share the big screen with none other than Keanu Reeves in John Wick: Chapter 4, making her feature film debut.
In the meantime, she’ll be touring England and the US; get tickets to see her over at Ticketmaster.
Hold the Girl Artwork:
Hold the Girl Tracklist:
01. Minor Feelings
02. Hold The Girl
03. This Hell
04. Catch Me In The Air
05. Forgiveness
06. Holy (Til You Let Me Go)
07. Your Age
08. Imagining
09. Frankenstein
10. Hurricanes
11. Send My Love To John
12. Phantom
13. To Be Alive