When it comes to her latest era, Katy Perry is no stranger to controversy. Not only was “Woman's World” controversially produced by Dr. Luke, but the “Lifetimes” music video did not have authorization to film. At this point, it's not an unknown fact that Perry has been subjected to lots of media scrutiny throughout the 143 era.

But does the album really deserve all of the hate? Let's find out.

Image: slgckgc from Wikimedia Commons

143 Is a Shell of What Perry Once Was

Though Perry has had some huge hits in the past, it seems like 143's tracks won't be joining the list anytime soon. Despite not liking “Woman's World,” I was still hopeful for what Perry had next. Unfortunately, the Teenage Dream singer didn't have anything particularly special in store.

If you ignore all of the controversies behind each of the album's tracks, it's still not necessarily good. 143 is simultaneously stuck in 2016 while also trying desperately to keep up with the trendy sounds of new albums like Brat. It feels as if Perry took comments asking her to make music sounding like Witness and Prism too seriously. It's clear that the singer made the album out of the desire for a new hit rather than a passion for music.

While the songs might be good for the occasional background music at a school dance or a trip to the mall, it isn't really anything to willingly press the play button for.

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The Singles

“Woman's World”

“Woman's World” is the infamous lead single off of 143, and is no doubt one of the more generic tracks. The song is what Perry seems to think is an empowering, feminist anthem celebrating women, but in reality, it is nothing more than a surface-level look at female empowerment.

Even ignoring the Dr. Luke controversy around it, the track is still not particularly strong enough to be the lead single. The background synth is extremely basic and sounds like something out of an ad for a department store. Not to mention how outdated it feels; the song sounds like it was meant to be released a decade earlier.

“Lifetimes”

“Lifetimes” is by far the best of the three singles (though it's not much of a competition). The song is a basic pop track, and follows a synth track like its predecessor “Woman's World.” The song is catchy, making it a lot more memorable than a lot of the other tracks on the album. However, the song starts to get old after the second “I'll love you for lifetimes.” Despite that, the track is still a pretty solid 5/10. Again, none of these songs are really anything you'd play willingly.

While the track isn't that bad, the music video certainly was. At least the background behind it was. Literally, the background to the “Lifetimes” music video, the Balearic Islands, is highly protected to keep it safe from damage.

Unfortunately for Perry, the singer didn't have a filming permit for the music video. As of August 13, Perry is being investigated to decide whether or not filming caused any damage to the dunes the video was shot.

“I'm His, He's Mine”

As of September 25, “I'm His, He's Mine” is the most recent single off of 143, and is also the single that has faced the least criticism. The track samples Crystal Waters' 1991 single off of her debut album “Surprise,” which is instantly recognizable even if you haven't heard the original song itself. Perry's song takes various cues from the original sample, including the iconic keyboard riff and equally as iconic “la da dee, la dee da” chorus.

The song isn't terrible, but it has the exact same problem as every other track on the album: it's bland. The song could easily be mistaken for any other pop song from the late 2010's or early 2020's. Though the chorus is catchy, that's largely thanks to the post-chorus, which isn't original to the song to begin with.

Image: slgckgc from Wikimedia Commons

Should You Listen to 143?

Overall, I personally did not enjoy Katy Perry's 143. Out of all eleven tracks, I only found one song to be something I'd consider playing willingly. As someone who was an avid Katy Perry fan during her prime, I found 143 to be a shameless cash-grab trying to capitalize off of the singer's former glory.

If you're a huge Katy Perry fan, then I'd recommend giving the album a go just to see if there are any tracks you like. If not, then you may be left disappointed.

Despite that, I'm still curious to see what else Perry has to offer after this era is over. Will it get better, or worse? We can only wait and see.