Katy Perry’s “bandaids” Can’t Fully Heal Her Career, But It’s a Start

The pop star makes her return in a bold attempt to rectify past musical missteps.

Over the past year and a half, Katy Perry has been through a lot. After two underperforming records (Witness and Smile), she was ready for a big pop comeback, and the world was begging for it. Fans longed for a return to the joyful pop perfection of hits like “Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F.)” and “California Gurls” on Perry’s own sophomore album Teenage Dream. In an attempt to capitalize on this demand, Perry released “WOMAN’S WORLD,” which was received extremely poorly: it lacked the life and personality in her early career, and its feminist message was greatly overshadowed by the involvement of alleged sexual abuser Dr. Luke on its production. Later that year, her sixth album 143 drew criticism for its AI-like lyrics and flat melodies. On top of this, her “Lifetimes Tour” has often gone viral for all the wrong reasons, and she recently split from her now ex-husband Orlando Bloom.

On Tuesday, Katy Perry announced her new single, “bandaids.” From the start, fans felt a shift from the 143 era - the aesthetic was simpler and darker. This garnered attention on social media, with many calling it her “last chance” in pop stardom. The track and music video were released on Thursday at 7 pm EST.

Though it’s not a high bar to clear, “bandaids” is a major improvement from anything on 143. The production feels greatly more authentic — while the synth and electronic elements are still there, it feels alive in a way it simply didn’t before. Lyrically, it holds more substance too: while there aren’t any groundbreaking lines, the way she details the breakdown of her past relationship is relatable and real.

“Tried all the medications

Lowered my expectations

Made every justification

Bleeding out, bleeding out, bleeding out slow

Band-Aids over a broken heart”

Her vocals also sound great. If anything is going to hit the listener with a hint of nostalgia for Perry’s zenith, it’s the way she sings on this track. Again, on 143, the passion didn’t come through in the music. But it’s back on “bandaids,” which is extremely refreshing — you can clearly hear anger and frustration in the words “It’s not that complicated / To ask me how my day is.”

While an improvement from her last project, “bandaids” is still far from perfect. Part of what defined Katy Perry’s early hits was the perfect melodicism, undeniable earworms that would stick in your head. “bandaids” isn’t quite there — the chorus, even though it does sound good, isn’t necessarily catchy in the way that all great pop songs are. Perry also isn’t known for her lyricism, but a few quick edits could have definitely been made: “Wе were perfect ‘til we weren’t / Now we’ve got too many splinters” doesn’t quite feel right.

Overall, this is a great step in the right direction for Katy Perry’s career, but it’s not quite saved yet. If this era can accomplish that is yet to be seen.