Katy Perry’s “Teenage Dream” is an album I never sat down and listened to in full, but somehow heard every song on the radio. Tracks like “California Gurls,” “Teenage Dream,” and “Last Friday Night” weren’t just great pop songs, but were also inescapable during the late 2010s.
Listening to it again in 2025, I’d say the album has aged moderately well. The standout hits still pack the same punch they did 15 years ago, but there’s a fair amount of bloat with even a few outright terrible songs.
Interestingly, many of the weaker tracks are the ones not produced by Dr. Luke. Songs like “Peacock” are nearly unlistenable, while “Circle the Drain” is just forgettable. This is one of those projects that perfectly encapsulates what it felt like to live in the late 2000s as someone completely untouched by the 2008 crash. The biggest issue with the album is how disjointed it feels. Katy Perry doesn’t have a distinct sonic identity here, and she’s often carried by her producers and her voice. Lyrically, it ranges from solid to embarrassingly lazy, and there are moments where it’s obvious she decided to take the wheel and shouldn’t have.
“Who Am I Living For?” sounds like a rough, proto-Charli XCX track, and by the time the album hits its final stretch, the filler really starts to drag. “Firework” and “E.T.” were massive hits at the time, but I still don’t care for them.
That said, there are glimpses of what made her pop reign so dominant. Bits of West Coast summer anthem soul peek through, and the first four tracks could’ve made a fantastic EP. “Last Friday Night” and “Teenage Dream” are the real highlights and show what Katy can do when she’s paired with the right producers who understand her sound.
Overall, Teenage Dream isn’t a bad album, but it’s weighed down by filler, awkward lyrics, and a lack of cohesion. Still, there’s no denying that Katy Perry owned the radio in the late 2000s, and for good reason.
★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆