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In It’s Not That Deep, Demi Lovato He just wants to have fun again. After a few years exploring a more punk and aggressive sound in Holy Fvck (2022) and revisiting old songs with a more rock feel in Revamped (2023), Lovato returned to the territory where she always shined brightest. In partnership with pop producer Zhoneshe delves into playful synths, dancefloor energy, and a sonic fluidity that lives up to the album’s title from start to finish.

The launch comes after an intelligent publicity campaign, in which Demi she turned that old aura of “taking everything too seriously” upside down, embracing memes and moments that previously bothered her. (Yes, she even went back to the ice cream shop The Big Chillwhich one day he tried to “cancel”.) This change in attitude influenced the way the public received the album — and the music reflects this spirit of lightness, revisiting the past with a smile and without taking itself so seriously in the present. This vibe runs through almost the entire album.

“How can a diamond like you exist / In a dirty and low place like this?”, he sings Lovato in “Frequency,” which turns into a pulsating EDM track as she repeats “fuck up the vibe” over an up-tempo beat. “Kiss” sounds like a classic track from Zhonechanneling the robotic elements he used in “Boy Crazy”, from Keshaand transforming them into something unmistakably Lovato — an EDM anthem tailor-made for remixes on LGBTQIA+ tracks. These two tracks align more directly with the singles.”Fast” and “Here All Night”, which embody the carefree spirit of the album title.

Still, there is room for some introspection. Over a radio beat, Lovato forgive yourself in “Sorry to Myself”, while acknowledging her mistakes: “Sorry for the hunger, sorry for the exhaustion, sorry for the ex who always brought me down”, she sings, in reference to her struggles with eating disorders and a former love that inspired many of her songs of heartbreak (we won’t name names, but who knows, knows).

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That one Lovato romantic and vulnerable that we met in Tell Me You Love Me (2017)? Now she’s found love, is more centered — and ready to have fun. In “Say It”, the insecurities of TMYLM even appear, but Lovato then scares them away: “I already know you love me, but I like it when you say it.” This time, however, she sings with maturity and from a completely different place. In this track and in “Let You Go”, the production shines without ever overshadowing his vocals. As for “Before I Knew You”, she revisits a love from the past who “liked to see me small, kept on a shelf”, before ensuring that “she only looks back sometimes.” (That old love still haunts his lyrics — and maybe it’s time to let it go.)

If there is any trace of emotional ballads in the style of “Skyscraper”, he appears in “Ghost”, the closing track, where she sings to someone she hopes to meet again in the afterlife: “I hope you flash the lights and give me goosebumps… I want to be haunted by your presence forever.” Despite its sweetness, the song sounds a little out of place in relation to the rest of the album.

In terms of production, the album is impeccable. To Zhone — still a relatively new name — It’s Not That Deep sounds like a consecration. Within a few months, he signed work with Maude Latour (Sugar Water), Kesha (Period), Zara Larsson (Midnight Sun) and now with the pop return of Demi Lovato. Together, they reinforce a greater truth: Zhone isn’t just participating in current pop — he’s helping to define it.

Considering it’s been almost a decade since Lovato fully embraced her persona.”PopVato“, as she called it, the album sounds like a return to her electronic pop roots. This time, she’s not taking herself too seriously or delving into heavy themes. Instead, she delivers a dance-driven record that sets aside the ultra-emotional ballads of the past to simply have fun — with just a hint of regret.

It’s Not That Deep will be released on digital platforms next Friday, the 24th.

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