Troye Sivan's fourth album, She's the Best, came out Friday on Interscope. It follows Something to Give Each Other, the 2023 album whose hits "Rush" and "Got Me Started" earned him his first Grammy nominations, NPR reported.

The new album starts like a party but does not stay there. Sivan told NPR the record has a "whiplash" feel on purpose. He said that while touring with Charli xcx, he felt confident on stage but lonely back at the hotel. "I want to honor this side of myself," he said. "I also want to be honest about what's going on."

Much of the album is about a man he has not met yet. The closing song, "Lost Time," is "essentially a manifestation song," he told NPR. The FADER described the record as mostly soft rock and orchestral pop. Sivan made it at home in Los Angeles with his brother Tyde Levi and in New York with producer Jack Antonoff, The FADER reported.

The title track is a thank-you to the women in his life. Nicole Kidman appears in its video, Charli xcx sings backing vocals, and her husband, George Daniel, co-produced it, The Guardian reported. Another single, "Party," samples Madonna's "Music." This week, Sivan also released a video for "FF," shot on Fire Island with Swedish actor Felix Mayr, Just Jared reported.

Critics are mostly warm. The Guardian called the songs "uniformly great" and very catchy, with only "Troye Meets World" falling flat. It said there is no reason Sivan should still be a cult figure rather than a multiplatinum star. MusicOMH named it album of the week, saying it balances "throbbing sensuality" with a wish for "domestic bliss."

The reviews differ on some tracks. MusicOMH called "Canada Dry" strangely stagnant and said the album works best when it gets experimental, as on "Le Boy."

What we know: She's the Best is out now and has drawn strong early reviews.

What we don't: How it will open on the charts, since first-week numbers are not in yet.