Katy Perry hasn’t had the best couple of years, musically speaking. In comparison to the pop smashes of her past, her fifth album Witness fell flat, in terms of both content and sales. It was her first album since she performed under the name Katy Hudson to fall short of platinum status, and it also failed to yield a Number One single. Nowadays, Perry is in need of a bit of pop rehabilitation — and “365,” her new collaboration with Zedd, shows that she might be heading in the right direction.
The dance-pop track has both Zedd and Perry at their most subdued. The production never goes as big-room house as Zedd’s biggest hits, instead settling into a simple rhythm that Perry nimbly follows with her vocals as well. It’s reminiscent of her last big hit, the Calvin Harris collaboration “Feels” with Pharrell Williams and Big Sean. Like that song, “365” is a blast of summer wind, though the tone has a more ominous, obsessive quality due to the lyrics and also the robot-centric music video.
The song isn’t a huge hit yet, but it’s already a lovable, near-return to form for Perry, and it’s worthy of more love.