Monday Melodies: Ben Platt - "Reverie" (2021)

For the past few weeks, there has been one question on my mind: can Ben Platt’s career be redeemed? That may sound more damning than it is, but it’s important to note what the film adaptation of Dear Evan Hansen (2021) was supposed to symbolize for his greater career. It was the moment when he would jump to film star status, having built a decent body of work in various media over the past five years. While it’s safe to say that *some* redemption is possible thanks to CinemaScore revealing an A-Minus audience reaction, it’s a terrible time to be a fan of his work or at least one who wants to publicly defend him.

At best, an average Dear Evan Hansen review comes with the caveat of “as talented as he is” mentioned somewhere in the text, still criticizing the text as messy and even misguided. Given how Tom Hooper’s Cats (2019) is still ripe with ridicule two years later, it’s easy to imagine an alternate world where Platt never gets taken seriously because he played a teenager who looked twice as old. Even if this fails to be the Oscar darling that the folks at Universal probably hoped, will the reputation of one controversial role keep Platt from ever achieving greater status?

It’s all tragic because, as I’ve mentioned many times over The Memory Tourist’s short existence, I am one of those defenders. I find him very talented and have been rooting for him to find that groove that makes the general public recognize his gifts. To be honest, I don’t love his work in The Politician nor is Dear Evan Hansen a flawless work. He hasn’t had that moment where suddenly it all makes sense, that he’s a diamond in the rough. At least, of course, not when he’s out there singing.

One of the most admirable things I’ve seen of Platt over the past few years is a strong attempt to move away from Evan Hansen. It’s definitely a role to be proud of, but even watching his live concert film, you get the sense that he is trying to build a more authentic identity, doing everything to say “This is me.” While he doesn’t reject the idea of doing Broadway again, the chances of him doing Evan are almost nonexistent. It wasn’t the media bullying him out of it. It’s just a phase of his life that he clearly wants to put behind him and be taken seriously for other projects.

That’s most evident in his second solo album “Reverie,” which was released weeks before Dear Evan Hansen made it to theaters. While it didn’t receive nearly as much attention as the more divisive film, there is a strong case to be made that if Platt can redeem his career in any way, it’s as a singer. While his TV and film acting choices have been more spotty, there is something undeniably confident and formed when listening to his albums. It’s the voice of an artist so in tune with their emotions that he’ll consistently amaze you with his decisions. Like his Broadway work, there is a whole story just in the vocal track, able to whither with heartache in the verse and boom with teary confidence in the chorus. At worst, his future in movies is writing some powerful ballads.

The first thing that seems apparent with “Reverie” is that Platt seems more confident in his identity as an artist. More so than on “Sing To Me Instead,” he feels like he’s taking risks. His themes lyrically are consistent, finding himself turning inward to explore the impact of personal relationships, questioning if he feels liberated as he has grown older. There are themes of heartache and triumph, finding him going on a journey that builds throughout the album. Given that the song “Childhood Bedroom” is a reference to where he passed time during the pandemic, there’s a sense that the downtime has encouraged him to find strength inside and has done so with a creative boom of energy. 

The most artistic decision that reflects his background in theater is a trio of tracks named “King of the World” that feature as act breaks throughout the album.  They’re under 90 seconds and finds him mixing references to fairytales with the sinking of the Titanic, alluding to relationships and the difficulty to hold onto something. Like every Millennial who was bored in the early 2000s, this is likely a fond reference to Titanic (1997) where love dies physically but lasts symbolically for centuries. There is ultimately hope in his demeanor, though it’s buried underneath autotune – a rarity for a singer with as much dexterity as Platt. While it bleeds into other tracks, by the end of the album this digital cloud of melancholy has faded into something more jubilant, expectant of brighter futures.

If someone wanted an immediate clue as to why I consider him to be a very talented performer, simply put on “I Wanna Love You But I Don’t.” While there are arguably more cohesive songs, as a showcase for his singing there are few that match. The choruses boom, as if serenading his frustrations from the rooftops. The backing instruments compliment him as he tries to find solace in knowing a betrothed who is more suited to be with somebody else. The choruses are more introspective, his voice fluttering in the lower register as he grapples with the facts. It’s quiet, tender, but most of all sincere. There are moments where it sounds like he may break out and cry, but pulls through. It’s an astounding achievement especially in a pop song that feels so tightly wound. 

The track at times reminds me of a contemporary version of Phil Collins’ “Against All Odds,” finding this 80s aesthetic using a jangling melody to clash with the singer’s aching attempt to hold onto something falling from his grasp. The whole album feels like a throwback to a bygone era, joining artists like The Weeknd and Dua Lipa that are clearly entranced by retro pop, using it to build up personal odes to self-reflection. Even the cover of “Reverie” feels like Platt has been spending too much time looking at old R&B albums, doing everything to capture the rugged manliness of those men sprawled over the covers in seductive poses. 

Thankfully, the reference points for Platt aren’t often those of the overused disco sound, but something more nuanced and punctuated. At times it feels like Billy Joel pastiches, such as on “Chasing You.” Over the nine full songs, he plays with the form in exciting ways, managing to convey so many emotions. “Leave My Mind” has a catchy repetition, finding the struggle to let go interfering with his everyday life. Once again, his voice waivers with incredible confidence, as if crying and shouting for frustration in a quiet, meditative fashion that surprisingly works with the upbeat tempo. Again, the autotune is slowly fading, forming a clarity of who Platt is as an individual, eventually leading to the second half of the album where suddenly his best work as an artist begins to appear.

The song “Carefully” in particular starts with a great lyric that captures the themes in a beautiful way:

I always found it funny

That your favorite part of a movie

Was trying to guess the end before I could

I should have seen it coming

But I got so lost in the story

It was over long before I understood

The album is packed full of images like this, of joy clashing with despair. It’s a familiar tone, but the one thing that Platt does very well is capture that in-between moment where he’s trying to hold onto something beautiful and having that mature realization of why certain loves don’t last. Given that the album opened with the enjoyably freeing “Childhood Bedroom,” it’s interesting to see the center of the album as where the darkest emotions ultimately reside, unformed and uncertain in intent. It is almost like every song following “King of the World, Pt. 2” is made to be 10% more optimistic, more aware of the positive opportunities that lie free of the codependence that comes from relationships. 

In fact, the final stretch of songs is arguably the ones that are most self-affirming. As an openly gay man, it’s clear how “Dark Times” was designed as a positive, anthemic ode to exploring one’s sexuality and identity throughout all phases of your life. Platt even talked about it in his concert film, proudly supporting the LGBTQIA+ while giving his own comical story about coming out to his mother while on a Jewish field trip to Israel. With this context, it makes sense why it comes across as one of the most earnest songs he’s ever sung, believing every word and using his full register to convey sincerity.

As someone who recently came to terms with his queerness at 31 (and also feeling a deep fondness for Dear Evan Hansen because of personal reasons), it’s a song that definitely hits much harder than the others. It’s true that Platt is writing mostly from a perspective that is personal but vague enough that they could be sold as unisex love songs. It’s only here that the ambiguity actually helps form something deeper, reflecting how the idea of queerness is a lifelong journey, where Platt centers his verses around the ages of 13, 18, and 27. He is encouraging even while commenting on the reservations that come with identity, and it’s downright cathartic. 

Also, it has easily one of the most positive, affirming choruses he’s ever sung. While some may find the imagery to be goofy, in context it hits like an earth-shattering explosion:

Life goes too fast

Heart breaks in two

Tough times don’t last

Tough people do

So wipe those tears from your crying eyes

‘Cause you only see the light shine

You only see the light shine in dark times

If there’s one point in this album that I feel like I’ll revisit from time to time, it’s this one. Maybe it is the apologist in me, but he sells every second of the song, making every tug at the heartstrings feel earned. While he does a great job of this with the rest of the album, this is where he feels most transparent, going beyond a clearly designed album for pop success and going for the encouragement that was always part of his career. As much as he tries to escape Dear Evan Hansen’s affirming nature, it’s songs like “Dark Times” that make me hope he never fully moves away from sincere, straightforward messages of hope that he delivers so well.

The final song and first single “Imagine” brings with it the final beam of hope. Comparatively, it’s another straightforward song of longing, but it comes with one of the best pieces of evidence that he’s good at singing. It’s a song that feels evident in his personal life, of finding hope after the devastating relationship that seems to inform the rest of the album. Maybe it’s a tale of self-confidence, but it could also be finding a new love that fills him with inspiration, giving him reason to live. There is a rejuvenation, even in a fairly pop-forward album, that brings the album to an end on a worthwhile note.

I guess Beatlemania is finally over

Can Ben Platt’s career be redeemed? Again, I think that it’s a bit hyperbolic to worry that Dear Evan Hansen will sink his career in any significant career. However, given that most of this victory lap has felt like missed opportunities and that he’s not becoming a household name just yet, it does feel like a valid question to keep checking in on. For now, I will continue to hold onto moments like “Reverie” that suggest something more incredible could happen. I don’t know that he’s yet worthy of being called a powerhouse, but for now, I think that the narrative is still building, giving us reason to believe that he’ll have success in what he does next, so long as we’ll see him as something more than a moody teenager looking for acceptance. As the jeers would suggest, he is far beyond needing those comparisons.