Suki Waterhouse’s pre-released songs of her upcoming album “Memoir of a Sparklemuffin”, showcase her undeniable talent, but do not achieve their full potential. Waterhouse will release the second album of her music career Sept. 13. Out of the 18 tracks in the album, six have been pre-released: ‘Supersad,’ ‘Blackout Drunk,’ ‘Faded,’ ‘My Fun,’ ‘OMG’ and ‘To Love.’ Her lead single, ‘Supersad,’ which debuted two months ago, has 3.7 million plays on Spotify.

‘Supersad’ has an upbeat, retro melody, but it lacks the originality that has historically set Waterhouse apart from many other indie-pop artists. While Waterhouse maintains the indie-pop style, in this song she moves away from the melancholy tones usually present in her songs. In an attempt to make the song feel chaotic, there is a layering of instruments, however it is excessive and makes the song feel cluttered and messy, diminishing the overall quality of the song. With the right tempo and a more organized set of instruments, ‘Supersad’ could have been better.

But ‘Supersad’ is not alone in it’s lack of instrumental creativity. ‘Blackout Drunk,’ while thematically similar to ‘Supersad,’ has a raw, aggressive sound. The song is a missed opportunity to showcase the unique emotional depth Waterhouse is known for, making the  song feel more generic and uninspired. Waterhouse’s soft, high-pitched voice usually pairs well with her emotional songs, balancing the loud, slow instruments. But in ‘Blackout Drunk’, the fast beats overshadow her vocals, making her gentle voice less pronounced.

Waterhouse might be using this musical approach to increase her popularity. Other recent successful female artists — Olivia Rodrigo and Sabrina Carpenter, for example — have been able to succeed with a more modern style of pop, which lean into themes of relationships and heartbreaks. But Waterhouse doesn’t succeed as well in using this new version of pop in her recent songs.

Waterhouse’s most successful songs, ‘Good Looking’ and ‘Moves,’ are characterized by a dreamy and smooth melody that create a comfortable atmosphere. These tracks both have a mesmerizing vibe with Waterhouse’s complementing vocals. The lyrics are particularly unique, especially in contrast with her recent album. For example, in ‘Good Looking,’ she uses phrases like ‘opium haze,’ ‘the skyline falls’ and ‘play casino halls on one of my eyeballs.’ These lyrics add to the graceful feeling of the song, where listeners can interpret and relate to the song in their own way.

In her new, pre-released song, ‘Blackout Drunk,’ however, she uses lyrics like “Those girls were not your friends, I was right,”, “You ruin every night” and “You always start the fight.” These lyrics are more straightforward and cliché and limit the song’s emotional reach. They only apply to certain situations like cheating and toxic relationships, which narrows her audience and the thematic scope of her lyrics. It’s a disappointing shift from the poetic imagery that characterized her earlier music.

In the name itself, ‘Supersad’, is expected to sound sad, but the melody is almost the opposite of that. The lyrics are unengaging, as they don’t build a narrative. They simply feel like words on paper instead of carefully constructed lyrics that Waterhouse once made possible. Even though the lyrics are bleak, they still involve a sense of sorrow. However, the melody sounds cheerful — the inconsistent tone can make the song feel confusing or emotionally shallow. Although, the entire album hasn’t been released and can only be judged based off a few songs, it has a unique blend of genres and an overall intriguing concept. While Waterhouse can produce lively pop music, her voice and talent stand out most in her dream like, melancholic style, which highlights her ability to express deep emotion, a style that is noticeably absent on this album. “Memoir of a Sparklemuffin” feels too different from what made her music special in the first place. While it is still possible that the album can grow on listeners and attract a wider audience, it feels like a step in the wrong direction for an artist who has previously excelled in a different style of music.