CREDIT: INTERSCOPE RECORDS
Selena Gomez's new album Revival illustrates Gomez's want to break away from her past persona and her battle against lupus.

Selena Gomez may have started on Disney Channel’s Wizard’s of Waverly Place, but she gained her true fame through dating the very troubled Justin Bieber. The now single songstress has been desperately trying to carve out a niche of individuality over the past few years. Her latest persona is that of a rising pop star, trying to ditch her Disney Channel and Bieber arm candy reputation.

She’s not the first Disney star to try her hand at music, joining the likes of Demi Lovato, Hilary Duff and Miley Cyrus. Lucky for everyone, she hasn’t quite followed in the footsteps of Cyrus.

Dating Justin Bieber could drive anyone off the deep end, but it seems that Gomez got rid of all her angst in the 2012 movie Spring Breakers.

This brings us to Oct. 9, with the release of her sophomore album Revival. This release is the accumulation of maturity and composure garnered from an intense battle with lupus. Selena is back to make her mark on the music industry and she’s here to please no one but herself.

Starting off with an inspiring quote about seeking the future and becoming a new person, her opening track “Revival” sets the mood for this album. Gomez has spoken about the project as being her metamorphosis into the strong woman she is today.

Revival brings together a novel blend of bass music with electric guitars and earnest yet sultry vocal melodies. The album as a whole displays the strength that carried her through chemotherapy, interspersed with reflections on past love.

As a whole, this album is full of melodies that will stay in your head long after you’ve grown sick of the album, but it follows the same minimalist production that most pop albums are brandishing these days.

Perhaps the only interesting aspect of this album is its progression from the dark and ambient introduction, to some of its more tropical and bright songs like “Body Heat” and “Rise”, the latter of which sounds suspiciously influenced by Hedley’s “Anything”.

Unlike Lana Del Rey, Gomez is lucky enough to have melodies that can carry a sparse album such as this. It’s just a shame to see her following in other people’s footsteps on an album that sings so strongly about breaking chains and leaving behind past personas.

Revival follows pop song formulas so closely that it took an entire weekend to listen all the way through. It’s not a bad album by any means. It’s just so similar to every other female pop album that it’s hard to get into. Some albums are designed to grow on you, but usually it doesn’t take five listens for that to take hold.

If you’re a diehard Gomez fan, I’m sure you’ll love what she brings to the table with Revival. If not, it’ll take more than a few listens and several interviews about her struggles to appreciate this album. Revival is a safe record, but is it perhaps too safe?

Rating: 2.5 out of 5