Rising pop artist Kenton has released his new album Sweetmouth. An album written to navigate the tensions between religion, queer identity, and both self- and familial-love, Sweetmouth sees Kenton try to forgive his parents for not accepting him as he is, while also paying tribute to the love he still has for them. The title is a nod to the English translation of the nickname given the Kenton as a child.
According to Kenton himself: “This album dives into my relationship with my parents as I visited them in Taiwan over Thanksgiving 2022. The last time I had seen them was over six years ago. As the queer son of an immigrant pastor, I felt abandoned by parents who loved me in a way I couldn’t feel."
“This album is my way of processing the shame, guilt, grief and anger I’ve harboured over the years, of honouring the heritage of my ancestors, and learning the art of forgiveness so that I, a grown up Sweetmouth, can choose love.”
Opening up with the straightforward “I’m Breaking My Father’s Heart”, the album starts off differently from how it means to go on with what is, essentially, a torch song for the familial love Kenton feels he could have had, and is coming to terms with having to mourn the absence of.
This feeling is immediately dropped as Sweetmouth moves into “Vaporize Me”, which is a poppy house banger with pulsing bass and a catchy guitar melody. The same can be said for the following “Gift of Loneliness”, in which Kenton sings “love being in my body”, and deals with themes of being free once you no longer have anyone whose rules you need to live by.
Other notable pop bangers on the album include “3am in Taipei”, which manages to create a sense of subdued melancholy despite its relentless house beat. In many ways, the whole album is like this – it’s joyful and unafraid, but it’s very clear that this has come from a place of heartbreak and grief, having come out the other side bruised but refusing to be broken by it.
The album delves into softer moments, such as on “Doing Alright”, where Kenton sings about going to therapy and drifting thoughts. Kenton’s vocals are wonderfully breathy on this track, and the bass line is deep and catchy, with some gorgeous harmonies really round out the rest of the song’s sound. The softness is repeated on the first of the album’s three interludes, “Elephant Mountain”, as well as the gentle track “Never Born”, which sees Kenton ponder a world in which he never existed and didn’t have to deal with anything from the last few years.
The most direct heartbreak arguably comes through on the track “Dirty Laundry”, where Kenton sings “I’m airing out our dirty laundry (sorry)/I’m bringing shame upon the family (probably)”. Kenton is painfully aware that he might have become a subject of gossip within the family, and is reaching out his hand to anyone else who has experienced this – and very explicitly lets anyone who criticises him have it with a vocoded rant at the end of the song before going “oh GOD, I’m gonna get in so much trouble for this!”. It’s funny but bittersweet, which encapsulates the album perfectly.
This album is also one full of barely-restrained rage, which definitely comes through on the track “Wannabe American”, where Kenton rages against existence within a culture that picks and chooses the “trendy” parts of different cultures without experiencing any of the lack of privilege of the people they were taken from. He sings “America, won’t you take my identity/strip it down, then sell it right back to me/hate my people, mock my face, then commodify our ways”. He’s angry, and possibly bitter, and there’s no reason he shouldn’t be.
One of the real stand out track from Sweetmouth is the genuinely beautiful “Back to Love”, where Kenton sings about how vulnerability is something he struggles with, and opens up about how he needed to do something with his pain – “I never wanted to be brave/I just needed a way to turn my pain into a story/one where I wasn’t a sad cliche”. It’s very clear that the feelings throughout this album are honest and open, while at the same time Kenton is strongly resisting being seen as some kind of helpless child. He’s an adult, he’s made his own choices, and he’s going to stick with them even though they hurt because it’s better than hiding himself any further.
Closing the album is the titular “Sweetmouth”, which starts up with a simple, driving synth melody before a very high-toned bass kicks in. It’s simple but effective, and features some more of Kenton’s lovely falsetto, which is used liberally throughout the album. “Let Light In” then follows, opening up with just Kenton’s voice and minimalist piano accompanying him, as he sings “now that I’m solo/where do I go?”. He also references himself as having to “pick up the pieces to start again/Knowing I’m better than what I have been/I’m starting to accept things I know were not my fault”. The choir that joins towards the end of the song really elevates the track, giving it a distinctly hopeful sound, becoming bigger and more grand as the percussion really kicks up a gear at the same time as Kenton’s vocals get stronger. It’s a great end for the album, and feels like a summary of everything the album goes through, emotionally.
Sweetmouth is a lovely, varied album that feels very specific to Kenton, his grief and his life, and that honesty has translated into an emotional experience for anyone who listens. It’s serious but not hopeless, funny but not over the top – and it really packs an emotive punch.
