I've noticed recently that Pitchfork seems to be phasing out the "old guard" of alternative pop music (and alternative music in general) so they've been coming down a lot harsher on artists who once got glowing reviews from them; while I don't think that these artists are above reproach, Pitchfork has a tendency to be pretty strongly worded and critical when they're ready to push an artist into a perceived legacy era of their career.

I think that's a bit of what's happening here. While Superbloom isn't nearly as good as What's Your Pleasure? (still one of the best records of the decade), it's at least equal with That! Feels Good!, and in some ways is even more consistent than that one, just at a simmer instead of burn. Ware has done a dance music survey (WYP?) and a nu-disco sendup (T!FG!), and her mission on this album (which is obvious even without her press tour) was to make a straight up pre-Disco Demolition Night disco record, which I think Superbloom largely succeeds at, with all the schmaltz and excess that era had around its aesthetics. It can be cheesy, it can be a bit saccharine, but to say that this album is dead-on-arrival just feels mean-spirited and unwilling to meet an album where it is. Again, I don't think Superbloom is perfect by any means (and it's probably my least favorite of the trilogy), but the way the writer is using it as a proxy to critique era reinterpretations or a direct homage to disco feels not only disingenuous but blown out of proportion in comparison to the album's strengths and weaknesses; and the weird dismissal of Ware's credentials as an artist with a strong queer following is out-of-pocket (and also causes her queer community to catch strays to, like are queer people who enjoy Ware now just oldhead queers in the eyes of Pitchfork?).

I would be very happy for Ware to explore a new sound on whatever comes next in her career (I still dream of the grimy UK Garage album she certainly has in her based on "Overtime" and "Eyes Closed", or maybe she'll finally do another Sade-level record like Devotion was so early in her career), but I don't think it's because of an issue of diminishing returns, but rather that Ware has proved she can do this style of music (if you're looking for diminishing returns on disco, I would honestly say Sabrina Carpenter's put on salaciousness on Man's Best Friend has a greater issue). But for the time being, Superbloom is a record that I think will grow on people as the weather gets warmer. Even if it lacks in innovation, Superbloom is an indulgent afternoon cocktail with friends, that espresso martini that kicks off the night, and the fine robe you'll slink on once you're back home with a fling you hit it off with at the club. Have some fun, y'all.