For eight years, Slayyyter has lived in the underbelly of pop’s rising stars. “WOR$T GIRL IN AMERICA” shows that 2026 is her moment, whether the industry likes it or not.

The St. Louis artist’s third album leaves behind the synth and electropop sound that defined her previous albums “Troubled Paradise” and “STARFUCKER,” and trades it for a loud, sleazy and industrial electronic style. 

The 14-song album finds Slayyyter at her most confessional and self-assured, both sonically and lyrically, as she is inspired by her hometown and upbringing. Slayyyter’s lyricism exudes her confidence in her artistry as she discusses fame throughout the album.

Opening with “DANCE…,” the disco-esque track introduces the darker side of the world of “WOR$T GIRL IN AMERICA.” Slayyyter ponders why “Creatures like you crawl to me every night,” atop a grueling, acidic bassline. At a runtime of four minutes and 47 seconds, the song is the longest on the album, but it succeeds in kickstarting the momentum.

“BEAT UP CHANEL$” is an addictive anthemic track, and introduces the industrial sound of the album with its stomping instrumental and driving bassline. “I want beat-up Chanels, I want new personnel / I wanna dye my hair every pretty shade of pastel,” Slayyyter sings in the song’s chorus. The lyrics’ anaphoric structure makes it all the more addictive. 

Slayyyter blends grit and glamour in “CANNIBALISM!” as she sings, “Tell you I’m needing it, think about you every night / Tell me you’re needing it, think about me all the time.” Her vocal performance in the chorus is one of her best, and it works well to contrast the more rap-adjacent vocals of many of the other songs on the album.

In stark contrast, Slayyyter gives a sharp vocal performance on “OLD TECHNOLOGY” as she discusses one of the album’s main inspirations: listening to music on the iPod of the early 2000s. The simpler production in the song’s verses give way to a booming, brash chorus, which blends the song’s industrial production with rock elegantly. 

Some of the strongest production on the album is heard on “CRANK.” The aggressive snare in the song’s verse and pre-chorus, the blaring, almost foghorn bassline in the chorus and the groaning vocal stutters make “CRANK” seem designed to be a prime needle drop at nightclubs.

The energy dips in “GAS STATION,” which sees Slayyyter in a more vulnerable position as she sings “When you left me all alone at the gas station / I was cryin’ out my eyes, oh, the despеration.” The track’s synthpop instrumental is similar to some of her older work, such as “My Body” and “Dramatic” from “STARFUCKER,” making it difficult to associate with “WOR$T GIRL IN AMERICA.”

Tracks like “YES GODDD” and “DANCE…” find Slayyyter wearing her sonic inspiration on her sleeve. The most explosive moment on the album, the drop on “YES GODDD” sounds straight out of French electronic duo Justice’s 2007 album “†” – the final breakdown on the track only confirms this. Regardless of the similarities, Slayyyter makes the electronic sound her own with her raw and guttural vocal performance.

“You think I see you? / You think I care about you?” taunts Slayyyter in “I’M ACTUALLY KINDA FAMOUS,” a track which satirizes the artist’s experience of stardom. Its mean-girl-esque vocal performance and powerful chorus make the song enjoyable, but it does little to stand out in the sonic landscape of “WOR$T GIRL IN AMERICA.” 

The highlight of the album is “$T. LOSER,” which features the most intriguing production and most varied vocal performance from Slayyyter. It begins with the haunting, repeated recital, “I think about you / Do you think about me?” overlain atop a stabbing bassline which feels almost like a predator stalking its prey. 

At the end of the song, Slayyyter delivers one of her greatest vocal performances on the album as she cries out, “I think about you,” one final time. This, accompanied by an unletting wall of harsh, distorted synths and growling sub-bassline, creates the greatest moment on the album. 

Tracks like “I’M ACTUALLY KINDA FAMOUS” and “$T. LOSER” are where the album’s thematic home of St. Louis are most apparent. The two tracks discuss an unnamed character that represents those she left behind, yet is still trying to impress.

Slayyyter’s Catholic upbringing is a common theme across the album, but is most prevalent in “*PRAYER*”, an interlude which features a prayer atop church organs. Religion is used in “WOR$T GIRL IN AMERICA” to signify how Slayyyter pities her hometown for not recognizing her success, yet wishes them well in spite of it.

In the album’s closer, “BRITTANY MURPHY.,” Slayyyter takes on a robotic vocal style as she contemplates her own death and her career up to this point. The track’s crisp production and catchy synth melody call back to the disco inspired sound that started the album in “DANCE…,” creating a satisfying end.

“WOR$T GIRL IN AMERICA” is, overall, a tightly cohesive album that creates a rich world of grit and glamour, without feeling gauche or gaudy. It’s far from perfect, but its weaknesses are overshadowed by its many strengths in production, energy and addictive melodies. Slayyyter has found a unique sound for herself that feels authentic and honest. 

While Slayyyter labels herself as the worst girl in America, this album does nothing but prove she is one of American electropop’s greatest.