Rating: 5/10
In her second studio album “Infinite Icon,” Paris Hilton jumps headfirst into the entirety of the modern pop genre to mixed results.
Released on Sept. 6, 2024, the album arrives 18 years after her first album, “Paris.” It includes features from Rina Sawayama, Meghan Trainor, Megan Thee Stallion and María Becerra. Sia, who was an executive producer, was also featured on the album.
With lots of synth beats and uplifting melodies, “Infinite Icon” feels like a quintessential pop album. The songs are fairly distinct from each other but aren’t special or unique, and when compared to any other music from the genre, they fall into obvious patterns.
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Yet, the album is still fun. Hilton’s songs are positive, catchy and welcoming, making this an album with a song for everyone.
The album opens with “Welcome Back,” an upbeat song that signals Hilton’s return to the world of music. Immediately, her high and airy vocals are introduced over simple chords and powerful beats that signify her power and triumph in the past few years.
Hilton has recently defined her strength against past abuses, especially when speaking out about her past at Provo Canyon School. So, it makes sense Hilton is reclaiming her joy, singing “To findin’ the girl you made disappear” to her fans and abusers alike.
This energy continues with “I’m Free” featuring Rina Sawayama. With a faster tempo and more self-centered lyrics, Hilton explores recent pop trends. The song is reminiscent of Dua Lipa’s discography, with similar breathy background vocals and low beats.
While most songs on the album are passable, several seem to lack quality. Particularly egregious is “Chasin’” featuring Meghan Trainor. The song can still be classified as a pop song, but not a very good one. Its chord progression and rhythms make it feel right at home as a department store ad.
This seems to be a problem within the album. A run of four songs from the middle of the album, including “ADHD,” “Legacy,” “Stay Young” and “Infinity,” fall deeply into common genre tropes, with nothing special to show for it. The strangest of the bunch is “ADHD,” a song that on first listen might seem to be a metaphor for some hidden power but is actually just an ADHD pride song.
They also seem tonally confusing, focusing on romantic love in an album that would be better suited by just focusing on self-confidence and strength. To be fair, these are common pop themes, but they simply fall flat when compared to the album’s other songs.
Unfortunately, Hilton isn’t a particularly noteworthy singer, so the songs that aren’t produced particularly well fall into the forgettable category.
However, most other songs are good, with Sia and María Becerra performing well in their features. A standout song is “BBA” featuring Megan Thee Stallion, which, as Hilton explains in the chorus, stands for “Bad B**** Academy.”
The song is the clearest homage to Hilton’s club history in the album, with a dark melody and a pounding bass line. Megan Thee Stallion’s verse is fantastic and is another hit for the artist.
With the release of albums like “brat” by Charli XCX and “Short n’ Sweet” by Sabrina Carpenter, pop is entering another unique era. Songs that used to be mass-produced and cheap for any artist to make are starting to take themselves more seriously, with excellent results.
Hilton’s “Infinite Icon” doesn’t do much for the innovation of genre compared to other pop records. In fact, almost all of the songs are derivative of more popular songs from the past 18 years. There’s little in the way of surprises or experiments in music.
However, this album isn’t entirely about the music: it’s meant to reintroduce Paris Hilton to the world. Now in control of her image and confidence, Hilton truly has become an Infinite Icon.
