Music / The Age of Pleasure

I'll do anything for my lipstick lover

No, I’m not the same, nigga
I think I done changed, nigga
See somethin’ not the same, nigga
I used to walk into the room head down
I don’t walk now, I float

— “Float”

The Age of Pleasure is the fourth studio album released by American singer Janelle Monáe on June 9, 2023.

This album is the follow-up to Dirty Computer after a five-year hiatus. Though it continues the themes of sexuality and freedom of its predecessor, The Age of Pleasure sounds completely different.

Tracklist

1. “Float” (featuring Seun Kuti and Egpyt 80)
2. “Champagne Shit”
3. “Black Sugar Beach”
4. “Phenomenal” (featuring Doechii)
5. “Haute”
6. “Ooh La La” (featuring Grace Jones)
7. “Lipstick Lover”
8. “The Rush” (featuring Amaare and Nia Long)
9. “The French 75” (featuring Sister Nancy)
10. “Water Slide”
11. “Know Better” (featuring CKay, Seun Kuti, and Egpyt 80)
12. “Paid in Pleasure”
13. “Only Have Eyes 42”
14. “A Dry Red”

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Singles

1. “Float”
2. “Lipstick Lover”
3. “Water Slide”

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Me and you can trope in that jacuzzi

• Age of Titles: It's in the name...
• Animal Motifs: Monáe's video vignette for "Only Have Eyes 42" features the main characters as giant, anthropomorphic rabbits.
• Cast Full of Gay: The "Lipstick Lover" video features many queer people with a particular emphasis on queer women and femmes.
• Fading into the Next Song: Every song on the album does this flawlessly. Some songs are even reprises of others.
• "Gaining Confidence" Song: “Float” is this.
• The Hedonist: This is a major theme of the album and the era as a whole.
• Hotter and Sexier: And how! This album sees Janelle at both her most free and also her most sensual and sexual.
• N-Word Privileges: Janelle uses it much more loosely than she ever did before on this album. Hence the the page quote.
• New Sound Album: The sonic landscape of this album is heavily influenced by Afrobeats as well as Reggae and calypso music. It's quite the departure from the electronic-oriented sounds of her previous work.
• Nipple and Dimed: The album’s cover art is often censored to cover Monáe’s freed nipples.
• Non-Appearing Title: "Black Sugar Beach," "The French 75," and "A Dry Red."
• Polyamory: In the vignette for "Only Have Eyes 42, the protagonist can be seen meeting up with a couple to become their third.
• Sampling:
  • “Champagne Shit” and “Black Sugar Beach” both sample “Murderer” by Barrington Levy.
  • “Know Better” samples “Darkest Light” by Lafayette Afro Rock Band.
  • “Water Slide” samples “Whining Skill” by Patra and “Bam Bam” by Sister Nancy.
  • “Only Have Eyes 42” samples “The Loser” by Derrick Harriott.
• Shower of Love / Two-Person Pool Party: Janelle propositions both of these in "A Dry Red."
• Suspiciously Similar Song: “Only Have Eyes 42” is a polyamorous recreation of “I Only Have Eyes for You” by The Flamingos.