Aidan Bissett has made one thing clear about his debut album, shut up and love me. A self-proclaimed “final boss of matcha drinking, clairo loving, pick me men,” the 13-track run tells the story of a walking red flag (this is a joke, we love you Aidan.) By promoting his album with references to Love Island, The Summer I Turned Pretty, the ever-present #situationship on all of his posts, often accompanied by #delusional, it’s clear he has a very specific target audience in mind. Every song on shut up and love me depicts a summer fling, thrilling but hurtling towards its inevitable demise. So, naturally, we are here to dissect each song, meaning each red flag that plagues Aidan’s situationship.
‘reading into it’
He’s more into this relationship than you are. You might want a summer fling, or even just a “weekend affair.” Every time he tries to turn it into something deeper, you pull back. He lies and says that’s fine with him, but he’s down bad for you. It’s a recipe for disaster. The lack of communication will lead to an explosion, ending horrifically for both of you. But at least you have this high-energy song and a perfect opening to the album. One line in and he’s already confessing to wanting to get married to someone who just wants to “make out in the dark.” What more could we possibly get through the next 12 songs?
‘something in the way you say my name’
Either you two both feel the same way in this one, or you need to let him move on. The situationship in ‘something in the way you say my name’ suffers from a lack of communication as well, but this time it’s more of a mutual destruction. This is an on-again, off-again relationship, encouraged by mutual attraction and an unwillingness to admit that they’re both toxic to each other. He wakes up the next morning, feels like he’s had a revelation, and he’s done with you. You call him again, and he pulls you right back in. Although there doesn’t seem to be anything deeper to this relationship, and although you’d be better off without each other, you’re both on the same page. Maybe this one will end when one of you finally comes to your senses, or maybe meets someone better.
‘are you curious?’
This one is similar. shut up and loves me expertly describes unrequited love. We can tell through these songs that Aidan is pining. He’s trying to convince himself that what you’re willing to give him is enough. But he wants more. He’s practically begging in ‘are you curious?’ He’s trying to convince you to try something. After all, he knows you, maybe better than anyone. He wants to talk to you about your past, about your future. But still, unfortunately, you’re just not into it. So, settling for a summer fling it is.
‘ricochet’
This song, according to Aidan’s TikTok, plays when he’s on his way to his toxic situationship. Not much more needs to be said. A genius at marketing to a yearning crowd, of course, a song about self-destructing by going back to someone again and again would resonate. This is ‘something in the way you say my name’ leveled up 10 times. It’s the same on-again-off-again situation, but neither party seems to be in a rush to put an end to it, least of all Aidan.
‘contact high’
Maybe it’s because this one is less danceable, maybe it’s because the lyrics are more reflective. However, this seems to be a point where Aidan stops to consider the situation he’s in. Is this really what he wants? No. He wants to fall in love. He doesn’t want to be alone. He’s thought this before, we know. Because he’s made it clear in multiple songs that he wants more than a one-night stand, than a summer fling. But now that he’s really taking the time to consider what he wants, will it make a difference? Let’s keep listening and find out.
‘2 much 2 handle’
Is he changing anything? Unclear at this point. There seems to be a new desperation behind this song. He may still be with the same person, but he will now voice what he wants. Until this point, he’s been quietly dealing with something he doesn’t want, pretending he’s okay with it. Now he’s pushing the point. He wants more, and he’s not afraid to say it. However, when what he wants is still out of reach, he’s not quite ready to leave. Perfect for people with commitment issues. You put yourself out there asking for commitment, and slink back to the shadows when you don’t get it.
‘my funeral’
At this point, it’s getting concerning. He’s aware that he’s doing this to himself. His inability to let you go is weighing him down. Now, though, the relationship may be beyond saving. He’s watching you from afar, and the crash and burn of this one is going to haunt him in any relationship he tries to start. After this, his main red flag will probably be that he’s still hopelessly in love with a girl from his past.
‘are we in love yet?’
He’s slipping back into delusion. He had a breakthrough in the last couple of songs. But now, he’s slipping into peak toxic red flag era. After all, in his own words, he’s “so kissable.” Who wouldn’t be in love with him? Maybe if he leans into his confidence and plays it cool, he can start something more with you. That’s what he tells himself anyway, as he considers that maybe lying will get him where he wants. You want to just be friends? So does he! (He’s lying). He doesn’t want anything serious anyway. (Lying.)
‘obvious’
It might be wrong to say that it hasn’t been messy up to this point. But now we’re really in the thick of it. We don’t even know if Aidan knows what he wants at this point. Should you guys just be friends? It’s too late for that. So now what? The one clear thing is that he wants you.
‘dancing around it’
Again, intentional miscommunication. These two both want different things, so it’s never going to work. But instead of addressing that, why not dance around it? This song is a peak summer fling. If it’s just for the summer, they don’t have to take anything seriously. It’ll be over soon anyway. Right? Maybe not. But even as he admits that it isn’t working, he’s not sure what else to do.
‘weak end’
Messy, and getting messier! You only call him when you need something, and he is not happy with that. As he’s been suggesting since the opening track, he wants to marry you. And nothing has changed. Here, he wants to “wrap you in a pearl-white picket fence.” We’d love to suggest that you give Aidan something more to work with, but you’ve been clear about where you stand from the beginning. Red flags all around. Aidan wants someone he can’t have, but you might just be leading him on.
‘when i die’
We have to pause for this one. It may not be about a toxic situationship, but ‘when i die’ is a beautiful display of his range. Both lyrically and vocally, this song shows off a side of him that hasn’t been explored yet in shut up and love me. He’s done a wonderful job of depicting a messy, unrequited love, and the July release date gives us time to both reflect on our summer so far and have enough time to spend the rest of it blasting this album with our windows down. However, that’s far from all he can do. ‘when i die’ shows us a more vulnerable side, and begins to bring the album to a breathtaking conclusion.
‘bloodtype’
‘bloodtype’ is a genius closer because it brings everything together. All the emotions he’s been wrestling with, all the desires he’s been pushing down, they all come spilling out in this song. Are you the disease? Or are you the cure? After this album, we’re not quite sure. What we are sure of, shut up and love me is an unforgettable masterful debut, and you’ll want to keep up with Aidan Bissett before he becomes the next pop sensation.
If you haven’t had the pleasure of listening to shut up and love me, stream it here! And then hop over to buy tickets to dance and sing your heart out on tour this fall. One last request. Once you’ve listened to shut up and love me, head over to our socials to discuss your favorites at @thehoneypop on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. See you there!
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