Doja Cat Vie
Doja Cat's Vie opens as a vivid, 1980s-flavored exercise in persona and reinvention, and across professional reviews the record's pleasures are clear even when its pastiche invites critique. Critics point repeatedly to the album's glossy synth-pop and New Jack Swing inflections, and they name multiple standouts that crystallize Doja's strengths: “Jealous Type”, “AAAHH MEN!” and “All Mine” recur as the best songs on Vie, while “Come Back” and “Take Me Dancing” earn praise for emotional clarity and late-night sweep. Those tracks showcase vocal dexterity, playful diva theatrics and pop-rap hybridity that reviewers consistently celebrate.
The critical consensus, reflected in a 74.27/100 score across 11 professional reviews, frames Vie as stylish and often exhilarating but uneven in songwriting. Reviewers agree that the record's immaculate production and Eighties synth revival work best when Doja pares back pastiche and lets personality cut through; when the nostalgia becomes too literal, critics find the material occasionally hollow or repetitive. Voices from Pitchfork to Rolling Stone note the album's tension between snark and sweetness, with several critics singling out moments where Doja's vulnerability and melodic instincts lift the collection above mere homage.
Taken together, the reviews present Vie as a confident, occasionally polarizing chapter in Doja Cat's catalog - a return to pop sheen that rewards repeat listens for its standout tracks and stylistic audacity, even as some songs fail to match those highs. For readers asking whether Vie is worth listening to, the critical consensus suggests that its best songs make it a must-hear for fans of synth-forward pop and genre-blending ambition.
Critics' Top Tracks
The standout songs that made critics take notice
AAAHH MEN!
10 mentions
"when she finally flirts with trendy casual misandry on ‘AAAHH MEN!’"— New Musical Express (NME)
One More Time
1 mention
"the solid synthpop on "One More Time" (which could be a Carly Rae Jepsen B-side"— The Line of Best Fit
All Mine
10 mentions
"‘All Mine’ demonstrates Doja’s vocal dexterity, her high, jazzy, bluesy register floating above the beat"— New Musical Express (NME)
when she finally flirts with trendy casual misandry on ‘AAAHH MEN!’
Track Ratings
How critics rated each track, relative to this album (0-100). Only tracks that made critics feel something are rated.
Cards
Jealous Type
AAAHH MEN!
Couples Therapy
Gorgeous
Stranger
All Mine
Take Me Dancing (feat. SZA)
Lipstain
Silly! Fun!
Acts of Service
Make it Up
One More Time
Happy
Come Back
What Critics Are Saying
Deep insights from 11 critics who reviewed this album
Critic's Take
Doja Cat's Vie feels like a skilful pastiche of 80s synth-pop and New Jack Swing, and the best tracks - notably “AAAHH MEN!” and “One More Time” - show her at her most vivid and hooky. The reviewer keeps circling back to how those standouts distill her strengths: witty raps, propulsive flow, and glittering production that sometimes suffocates the concept. At its best, Vie lands genuine moments of sparkle and urgency; at its worst, the imitation and mumbling of songs like “Jealous Type” blot out clarity. Overall, the album is modestly successful, with a clear top end that answers the question of the best songs on Vie without pretending the whole record is flawless.
Key Points
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The best song is strong because it fuses witty raps, propulsive flow, and memorable hooks into a retro synth-pop package.
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The album's core strengths are its standout singles and convincing 80s-inspired production, even if the concept feels inconsistently executed.
Themes
Critic's Take
Here Doja Cat leans into tenderness and craft on Vie, with the best songs crystallizing that move. The opener “Cards” sets the tone with smooth jazz flourishes and a falsetto hook that makes it one of the best tracks on Vie. Likewise, the late-night chemistry of “Take Me Dancing (feat. SZA)” and the cinematic closing “Come Back” mark themselves out as top tracks for their emotional clarity and composition. The album’s tension between gloss and ache means the best songs are those that reconcile persona and person rather than rely on pastiche.
Key Points
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The best song is the opener “Cards” because it establishes the album’s tonal and melodic intent with memorable hooks.
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The album’s strength is reconciling retro-pop gloss with genuine vulnerability, balancing persona and person.
Themes
Critic's Take
Doja Cat leans into an ’80s mood on Vie, and the best tracks are the ones that break that mold - notably “Make It Up” and “Take Me Dancing”. The review favors “Make It Up” as a highlight because it departs from the retro template and lets Doja swerve between melodic rap and crooning with sticky hooks. “Take Me Dancing” is singled out for its swinging synth-funk and SZA assist, the roller-rink beat suiting her airy upper register. Overall the album is breezy and fun when it leans into personality, less successful when the pastiche boxes her in.
Key Points
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The best song, "Make It Up," succeeds by abandoning the strict ’80s pastiche and letting Doja fluidly switch between melodic rap and crooning.
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Vie’s core strength is its playful, synth-funk production and Doja’s spirited performances, but the retro pastiche sometimes constrains her usual inventive transitions.
Themes
Critic's Take
Doja Cat spins a seductive, intimate record on Vie, where the best songs - “Gorgeous”, “All Mine” and “Take Me Dancing” - underline her chameleonic vocal gifts. The reviewer's voice revels in texture and groove, praising how those tracks let Doja flirt, dominate and play with vintage funk and zappy synths. It calls out missteps like “Jealous Type” but ultimately frames Vie as a playful, sensual triumph that cements her as pop's shapeshifter.
Key Points
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‘Gorgeous’ is best because it fuses groove, sensuality and clever playfulness into an irresistible centerpiece.
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The album’s core strengths are Doja’s vocal dexterity and 80s-inspired production that emphasize texture, groove, and seductive play.
Themes
Critic's Take
In this reviewering voice, Doja Cat's Vie finds its best songs in moments of honest contradiction, notably “Jealous Type” and “AAAHH MEN!”, where she lets multiple selves collide and sing. The record thrives when she refuses a single lane and instead mixes New Jack Swing, glam and R&B, so the best tracks on Vie feel like experiments that actually work. Less successful cuts like “Take Me Dancing” expose the album's occasional hollowness, but the highs prove Doja is at her most compelling when she contains her contradictions.
Key Points
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The best song is the lead single, “Jealous Type”, because it crystallizes Doja's duality and blends eras with emotional clarity.
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The album's core strength is genre-blending and embracing contradictions, letting Doja's vocals and persona coexist.
Critic's Take
Doja Cat arrives at a surprising creative equilibrium on Vie, a record that revels in vintage pop while keeping her rap instincts sharp. The review highlights standout moments like “Jealous Type” and “Stranger” as the album's best songs, where Antonoff's neon production and Doja's nimble raps collide to great effect. The writing praises how tracks such as “AAAHH MEN!” and “Take Me Dancing” wear their 1980s influences proudly, yet the album never feels like mere pastiche. Ultimately, the best tracks on Vie show Doja comfortably straddling pop and rap, making clear why these songs emerge as the album's high points.
Key Points
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The best song, “Jealous Type”, succeeds as a lead single and showcases Antonoff-era 1980s pop reimagined by Doja.
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The album's core strengths are its fusion of 1980s production with nimble rapping and catchy, relationship-focused songwriting.
Themes
Critic's Take
Doja Cat channels a fetishized '80s pop dream on Vie, and the best songs show that confident, frothy vision fully realized. The icy-hot lead single “Jealous Type” is the standout, an electro-R&B club anthem that thrills like Janet at her most physical. Album cuts such as “Cards” and “All Mine” further prove how Doja's warm coo and theatrical production make for the best tracks on Vie. The reviewer hears a playful, conceptual diva in control throughout, which is why listeners asking "best tracks on Vie" will find themselves returning to these glossy highlights.
Key Points
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The best song is "Jealous Type" because its icy-hot synthy groove and club-ready production make it the album's undeniable anthem.
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Vie’s core strengths are its cohesive '80s synth-pop production, conceptual diva persona, and confident, theatrical vocal performances.
Themes
Critic's Take
The best tracks on Vie show Doja Cat playing tug-of-war between snark and sweetness, and they are thrillingly alive. On “AAAHH MEN!” she crafts a sinister, blown-out strut that reads as one of the album’s sharpest moments, while “Silly! Fun!” captures the lovesick, dazed pop that makes some of the best songs on Vie so irresistible. The record’s lead single “Jealous Type” tempts with cinematic 80s gloss, but it is the push-and-pull across songs like these that makes Vie worth seeking out.
Key Points
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The best song moments come from the album’s uneasy balance of snarky bite and sugary pop, especially on “AAAHH MEN!”.
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Vie’s core strength is its stylistic tug-of-war, marrying glossy pop production with candid, often wry lyrical detail.
Themes
Critic's Take
There is a confident, glamorous streak threading through Doja Cat's Vie, and the best songs show it plainly: “Jealous Type” emerges as a standout with its synthy, illusory chorus, while “AAAHH MEN!” and “Gorgeous” supply euphoric, layered highs. The reviewer's eye for performance and fashion surfaces the album's strengths - vivid visuals and 80s-leaning sonics propel tracks like “Cards” and “All Mine” into immediate focus. Overall the record trades in glossy, nostalgic flourishes and sharp hooks, making the best tracks on Vie feel both theatrical and rooted in Doja's knack for genre-hopping.
Key Points
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“Jealous Type” is best for its synthy, illusory chorus and standout live performance moment.
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The album’s core strengths are its 80s-inspired production, strong visuals, and Doja Cat’s genre-flexible performances.
Themes
Critic's Take
Doja Cat leans full-on Eighties on Vie, and the best tracks - notably “Jealous Type” and “Come Back” - are where the homage becomes thrilling rather than merely referential. The reviewer's voice savors the production bells and sax solos, praising the period-perfect textures while noting that songwriting sometimes lacks a knock-out hook. Tracks like “Aaahh Men!” and “Take Me Dancing” get called out as highlight moments that capture Doja’s playful, unpredictable persona. Overall, Vie reads as a high-gloss, often entertaining Eighties fantasia whose pleasures outweigh its unevenness.
Key Points
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The best song(s) like “Jealous Type” succeed because immaculate Eighties production and strong singles lift them above weaker hooks.
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The album’s core strength is its period-perfect, impeccably produced Eighties pastiche and Doja’s playful unpredictability.
Themes
Critic's Take
Sal Cinquemani hears Doja Cat pushing an ’80s pastiche on Vie, and names “Aaahh Men!” and “All Mine” as the album’s most memorable moments. In his clipped, analytical style he praises “Aaahh Men!” for landing hard and admires Doja’s vocals on “Jealous Type” and “Stranger”, yet he finds the record too lightweight and repetitive to register as more than stylish nostalgia. The review thus answers who the best tracks on Vie are by pointing to “Aaahh Men!” first, then “All Mine” and the vocal showcases, even as the album overall falls short of lasting impact.
Key Points
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“Aaahh Men!” is best because it lands hard with its Knight Rider sample and sharp rap lines.
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The album’s core strengths are Doja’s vocal moments and well-executed 80s pastiche, though it feels lightweight overall.