“I know the s- – – that I’ve ignored, I know the girl that you adored, she’s dead, it’s time to f- – – — mourn.” These lyrics characterize Demi Lovato as she says goodbye to her previous eras (the singer has acknowledged that she uses both she and they pronouns) of pop ballads and R&B anthems.

Demi’s eighth album, “Holy Fvck,” heavily contrasts the feel-good, Disney Channel pop-star persona that she embodied early in her career, establishing a new angle of her musical ability and vocal prowess, and embracing angsty, head-banging, pop-punk songs.

Every track on the album uses traditional pop-punk elements of early 2000s emo beats, like sharp drums heavy with cymbals and vicious electric guitar that screech through the songs, triumphantly defining the album’s vibe of messiness and rebellion. 

In the opening song, “Freak,” Demi continuously belts, “Came from the trauma, stayed for the drama,” addressing critics and her rocky start in the music industry. This track also features fellow Disney Channel alum and alternative punk artist YUNGBLUD, who’s rasping voice perfectly complements the “screw it” vibe of the song. 

The following song, “Skin of My Teeth,” opens with catchy drums and the drone of an electric guitar, and the song is a direct nod to the singer’s past struggles with rehab and drug addiction. Demi proceeds to snatch the words out of the mouths of critics with the first lines being, “Demi leaves rehab again, when is this s- – – gonna end?” She references her near-fatal 2018 overdose by repeating “I’m alive by the skin of my teeth” throughout the chorus.  

It is genuinely electrifying to listen to the incredibly fun pandemonium that is “Holy Fvck.” From chastising a far older boyfriend that she was in a relationship with at just 17 years old in the song “29,” to screaming her heart out alongside electro-pop artist Royal & the Serpent, the album is filled with playful angst and a powerful goodbye to the old Demi.