Dated girl-power anthems and by-the-numbers dance-pop lack the frivolity that once made the singer so entertaining

Katy Perry’s new album: 143 has connected with music lovers, landing at the top of the Billboard all-genre poll for this week. Gaining a remarkable 59% of the vote, the pop icon’s sixth studio album shot over the newly launched albums of Gwen Stefani,

To kick things off, Katy Perry returned with 143, her first album since 2020’s Smile. “I set out to create a bold, exuberant, celebratory dance-pop album with the symbolic 143 numerical expression of love as a throughline message,” Perry previously shared in a statement about 143, which is text message code for “I love you.”