Heartbreak On The Dance Floor EP by Vardaan Arora | Album Review
Arora’s debut EP seeks to mend the wounds of heartbreak and insecurity.
Indian-born actor and recording artist Vardaan Arora has been a rising star since his debut back in 2016. As his career has blossomed, he has used his platform not only to raise awareness of LGBTQ+ issues (being a part of the community himself) but also to discuss his struggles with mental illness, specifically OCD (Obsessive Compulsive Disorder). His first EP, titled Heartbreak On The Dance Floor, was inspired by the dissolution of a 3-year-long relationship. Vardaan discussed how therapeutic it was to pull from his complicated emotional states in his Audiofemme interview:
“The triggering of writing this record was a breakup. I was just coming out of a quite long relationship. I had this fresh perspective. After this long time of being codependent, I was suddenly on my own… As part of any breakup, the rebound phase is super important to the healing process. After dating someone for three years, the last thing you want is to get to know another person from scratch… I want to be as vulnerable and honest as I possibly can. I feel most inspired to write about my struggles with anxiety, heartbreak, or whenever I feel like life has been sucked out of me. The only way I can come out of it is writing about it. It’s therapeutic and healing. It’s like taking the fear and power away from all these emotions that weigh you down and bringing it back to you.” — Vardaan Arora via Audiofemme (2020)
The title track, “Heartbreak On The Dance Floor,” seeks to break the chains of heartache through the euphoric bliss of the club’s atmosphere. It’s a task Vardaan finds increasingly difficult to complete as memories of his partner’s love still choke any pleasure from his mind, “Lookin’ round this room/ Everyone seems okay and they tell me I’ll be over it soon/ And the world keeps spinning round and round/ But I’m still where you left me now/ Trying to stop it/ Why can’t I stop it?/ Tears are falling to the rhythm of the beat/ Trying to stop it/ Why can’t I stop it?/ Yeah, I’m dancing ’til the hurt reaches my feet.” To capture this glamour of the club, Arora drenches the track in the pop gloss of shimmering synths. I am happy to hear the beat unleash in the post-chorus. Its slick radio-friendly sound reminds me of something you would hear in a dance bar setting.
Arora washes Selena Gomez’s 2020 title track “Rare” in the modern 80s rinse. I honestly prefer Vardaan’s reimagining over the original. Selena’s version has an over-processed emptiness that lacks any semblance of life, whereas Arora’s has a pulse that locks in nicely with his story of overcoming heartbreak. While it still lies solidly in the radio-pop ethos, I find that there is passion brought in by Vardaan that is missing from Gomez’s performance making for a truly enjoyable listen.
“Do You Hate Me?” locks into Vardaan’s inability to let go of his ex. You easily see how his obsessive tendencies have become a hindrance in his relationship and in moving on, “Drank too much last night, did you talk about it?/ Texted you three times, bet you laughed about it/ Do you hate me?/ Now I’m spiraling thinkin’ bout all the times/ I said how I said what I said/ And my brain’s overthinkin’, that’s an understatement/ Ahead of myself now.” Arora flirts with 80s undertones through the wash of pearly synths that trickle down the piece. His pop-forward production would make any fan of Dua Lipa’s earlier work feel right at home. The processing of his voice reminds me quite a bit of Taylor Swift’s cool tones on reputation.
Arora enlists South Korea’s first openly gay pop star MRSHLL to provide guest vocals on “I Don’t Wanna Know.” Vardaan told Billboard how important it felt to have them.
“So this song was recorded and release ready, but then I found out about MRSHLL through a friend who works in management. I just think, and have thought for a while, that there is just such a lack of queer Asian talent in pop. I mean, there’s just a lack of Asian artists in pop music, period. I saw that MRSHLL was Korea’s first openly gay pop act, and then I saw that he’s between California and Seoul. I looked at myself, who’s between Delhi and New York, and a lot of things just aligned… The song, even though it was one of my favorites at the time, I still felt like it could use some lifting up. He recorded his verse for it during quarantine from Korea, mailed it over, we put it in, and it just made the song so much better in a way that I didn’t even know was possible. His voice is so different from mine, and the way it blends together brings such a dark, unique, sexy energy. Listen, it slaps!” — Vardaan Arora via Billboard (2020)
The erotic energy crackles as the pair cut the conversation and go right into the physical, “Don’t gotta wait till 11:11/ I know that you’re wishing that I’d rather be undressing/ Here’s the thing, I know we just met/ But I don’t wanna know anything about ya/ Get the check, I think we’re all set/ ’Cause I don’t wanna know much else about ya.” Personally, this track feels the strongest. It has a dark, brooding energy that marries nicely with MRSHLL’s subtle soulful vocals. This expensive sound wears nicely on the seductive air the duo brings.
As the title suggests, Vardaan faces his demons of inadequacy in “Imposter Syndrome.” His self-conscious feelings surrounded by others he perceives as superior is a sentiment many of us can relate to, “Put myself down, down, down, down/ Feel the world upside down down/ Don’t know why I’m still around/ Oh, oh/ I get so anxious, so low/ Feel like I’m ridin’ solo/ Maybe it’s finally my time to go/ Impostor syndrome.” Many of the synth tones coat the song in a creamy off-white. I do wish there was a little more of Vardaan’s flavor to make the production feel unique. It’s a catchy pop track, but a lot of the aspects sound like many other radio-pop tunes.
We close on a sensual note with “Expensive On Me.” Arora’s sense of confidence makes him feel like the most expensive thing in the room, “Ooh, come see what life could be like/ With me right by your side/ Don’t mean to be impolite/ But I got it, and I know that you want it/ Ooh, looks expensive/ That looks expensive on me/ Ooh, looks expensive/ Like Prada, Gucci on me/ Ooh, it’s so impressive/ Nothing like they’ve ever seen.” I wish the bubbly beat had more richness to bind to the heat that Vardaan gives off. As it stands, the production has an electricity that is at odds with the swagger that he gives off lyrically.
Arora’s love for modern pop is exuded through his choice of production. Each song has a glossy shine perfect for radio. The best of these come from Vardaan’s cover of “Rare” and his collaboration with MRSHLL. You can hear a real passion coming through these tracks that brings them to life. The rest have a nice sound but lack a little diversity that would have helped them stand out from other slick-pop tracks. The only song that felt at odds with itself is “Expensive On Me.” It left me wanting more tempting vibes than the dance-oriented dress we got in the final product. I do think Arora has a skill at writing music with a message.
My overall thoughts on the Heartbreak On The Dance Floor EP:
Loved it: “Rare” & “I Don’t Wanna Know” (feat. MRSHLL)
Liked it: “Heartbreak On The Dance Floor”, “Do You Hate Me?” & “Imposter Syndrome”
Disliked it: “Expensive On Me”
My overall rating: 5.5 out of 10.
Sources:
