Scrolling through Tik Tok, trending soundbites will repeat on our feed, easily getting stuck in our heads. Artists’ names and song titles seem subliminal on social media, until the small lines of lyrics become a fixation.
Among the millions of TikTok tunes that float around the internet, you have probably heard the song “Beautiful Things,” by Benson Boone. This song, released in January, blew up on TikTok, making its way into almost a million videos.
Boone’s song made it to the top of the Billboard Hot 100 within the first few weeks of its release, putting Boone in the top charts.
“Please stay / I want you, I need you, oh God / Don’t take / These beautiful things that I’ve got.” The upbeat chorus sticks in the heads of each listener after hearing it just once or twice.
I knew Boone had done something great with this song to get it to blow up like it did, but I was skeptical of what the other songs by him would sound like. Would he be a one-hit wonder?
As I listened to his new album, “Fireworks & Rollerblades,” I was met with an interesting first impression. The opening song “Intro” started off the album with a very musical theater vibe. It immediately blended into the second song of the album called, “Be Someone.” This upbeat, pop song challenged the usual melancholy theme of Boone’s past songs.
As I listened to each song I was very impressed with the progression. The story told throughout the album painted a beautiful picture of love, excitement, loss and heartbreak.
Each song was unique in the way it sounded. “Slow It Down” made me want to get up and dance. The lyrics, “So slow it down, take a moment now / We’re too young to drown deep in dirty waters,” caught my attention, along with the catchy tune.
Boone dove into some deeper topics in this album as well. He sings about subjects like depression and death in many of his songs.
Boone sings “Won’t you hold me while this storm is in my head? I’m alone and I can barely catch my breath” in his song “Hello Love” near the end of the album.
The title of this album, “Fireworks & Rollerblades” is finally addressed in this song as well. He sings, “I could try to blame you, but my mind ain’t safe / Like two fireworks tied to a rollerblade.” I love this imagery.
Boone is a young artist and at only 21 years old, he has a clear talent for writing creative and poetic imagery in his music. I was very impressed by this album. I now hope that Boone will not be a one-hit wonder and am optimistic that he has many more years of pop hits ahead of him.
Nick Hancock 
Steve Anderson