''This Is What the Truth Feels Like'' is the third studio album by American singer

Gwen Stefani Gwen Renée Stefani (; born October 3, 1969) is an American singer, songwriter, fashion designer and actress. She is a co-founder, lead vocalist, and the primary songwriter of the band No Doubt, whose singles include "Just a Girl", " Spiderwebs ...

. It was released on March 18, 2016, by

Interscope Records Interscope Records is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group through its Interscope Geffen A&M imprint. Founded in late 1990 by Jimmy Iovine and Ted Field as a $20 million joint venture with Atlantic Records of Warner Mu ...

. Initially, the album was scheduled to be released in December 2014 with Stefani working with a handful of high-profile producers, and

Benny Blanco Benjamin Joseph Levin (born March 8, 1988), known professionally as Benny Blanco (stylized in all lowercase), is an American record producer. He is the recipient of the 2013 Hal David Starlight Award from the Songwriters Hall of Fame. He is al ...

serving as executive producer. However, after the underperformance of her 2014 singles and the

writer's block Writer's block is a condition, primarily associated with writing, in which an author is either unable to produce new work or experiences a creative slowdown. Mike Rose found that this creative stall is not a result of commitment problems or th ...

Stefani suffered, she did not feel comfortable curating an album and scrapped the whole record in favor of starting again. The album's release was scheduled after Stefani hinted at it on her

Twitter Twitter is an online social media and social networking service owned and operated by American company Twitter, Inc., on which users post and interact with 280-character-long messages known as "tweets". Registered users can post, like, and ...

account. Inspired by both the end of her marriage and eventual newfound romance, Stefani returned to writing new songs. With the help of producers

J.R. Rotem Jonathan Reuven Rotem is a South African-born record producer, songwriter and music publisher. Biography Early life Rotem was born in South Africa to Jewish Israeli immigrant parents. He moved to Canada at the age of two and to Moraga, Cal ...

Mattman & Robin Mattman & Robin is a Swedish songwriting and production duo composed of Mattias Per Larsson and Robin Lennart Fredriksson. They are published by Wolf Cousins, a publishing company administered by Warner Chappell Music. In 2016, they won a Grammy ...

, and

Greg Kurstin Gregory Allen Kurstin (born May 14, 1969) is an American record producer, multi-instrumentalist, and songwriter. He has won nine Grammy Awards, including Producer of the Year, Non-Classical in 2017 and 2018, and written and produced four songs ...

, as well as songwriters

Justin Tranter Justin Drew Tranter (born June 16, 1980) is an American songwriter, singer, and activist. Frequently co-writing with Julia Michaels, Tranter has written songs for artists such as Britney Spears, Gwen Stefani, Linkin Park, Kelly Clarkson, Selena ...

and

Julia Michaels Julia is usually a feminine given name. It is a Latinate feminine form of the name Julio and Julius. (For further details on etymology, see the Wiktionary entry "Julius".) The given name ''Julia'' had been in use throughout Late Antiquity (e ...

, Stefani wrote the album in a few months. Describing it as a breakup record, she created songs with a sarcastic and dark-humor vibe, in addition to ones that felt real, joyful, and happy. Musically, ''This Is What the Truth Feels Like'' is a

pop Pop or POP may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Music * Pop music, a musical genre Artists * POP, a Japanese idol group now known as Gang Parade * Pop!, a UK pop group * Pop! featuring Angie Hart, an Australian band Albums * ''Pop'' (G ...

record that is similar to the material on Stefani's previous studio albums. The record includes a guest appearance by rapper

Fetty Wap Willie Junior Maxwell II (born June 7, 1991), better known by his stage names Fetty Wap or Harlem Fetty, is an American rapper, singer and songwriter. He rose to prominence after his debut single "Trap Queen" reached number two on the U.S. ''Bi ...

. The album received generally favorable reviews from critics, who praised its honest and vulnerable nature and considered it her most personal album. However, some thought the album was too calculated and did not capture the essence of a breakup album because it lacked a clear focus. Commercially, the album was moderately successful, becoming Stefani's first number one on the ''Billboard'' 200; in several other major music markets, it peaked within the top 40 on the charts. To further promote the album, Stefani embarked on her third concert tour, the

This Is What the Truth Feels Like Tour The This Is What the Truth Feels Like Tour was the third solo concert tour by American singer-songwriter Gwen Stefani, in support of her third solo studio album, '' This Is What the Truth Feels Like'' (2016). It began on July 12, 2016, in Mansfie ...

with rapper

Eve Eve (; ; ar, حَوَّاء, Ḥawwāʾ; el, Εὕα, Heúa; la, Eva, Heva; Syriac: romanized: ) is a figure in the Book of Genesis in the Hebrew Bible. According to the origin story, "Creation myths are symbolic stories describing how the ...

in North America and headlined the Irvine Meadows Amphitheatre Final Shows with opening act

Young the Giant Young the Giant is an American rock band that formed in Irvine, California, in 2004. The band's line-up consists of Sameer Gadhia ( lead vocals), Jacob Tilley (guitar), Eric Cannata (guitar), Payam Doostzadeh (bass guitar), and Francois Comtoi ...

. The album's official lead single, "

Used to Love You "Used to Love You" is a song recorded by American singer Gwen Stefani for her third studio album, '' This Is What the Truth Feels Like'' (2016). It was written by Stefani, Justin Tranter, Julia Michaels, J.R. Rotem and Teal Douville, and produc ...

", was released on October 20, 2015, to a positive response and had moderate success on the charts. Its second single, "

Make Me Like You "Make Me Like You" is a song by American singer Gwen Stefani for her third solo studio album, ''This Is What the Truth Feels Like'' (2016). The record's second single, it was released digitally on February 12, 2016, and distributed to contempora ...

", was released on February 12, 2016, with a similar reception. The accompanying music video was the first to be created live on television, and was broadcast during a commercial break for the

2016 Grammy Awards The 58th Annual Grammy Awards was held on February 15, 2016, at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. The ceremony recognizes the best recordings, compositions and artists of the eligibility year, which was from October 1, 2014, to September 30, 201 ...

. "

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" was originally issued as a

promotional single A promotional recording, or promo, or plug copy, is an audio or video recording distributed free, usually in order to promote a recording that is or soon will be commercially available. Promos are normally sent directly to broadcasters, such as ...

before being released as the album's third single on May 23, 2016.

Background

After giving birth to her third son on February 28, 2014,

made her first public appearance at the 2014 Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival on April 12, 2014, performing "

Hollaback Girl "Hollaback Girl" is a song by American singer-songwriter Gwen Stefani from her debut solo studio album, ''Love. Angel. Music. Baby.'' (2004). It is a hip-hop song that draws influence from 1980s hip-hop and dance music. The song was written b ...

" at the request of her longtime collaborator and friend

Pharrell Williams Pharrell Lanscilo Williams (; born April 5, 1973) is an American record producer, rapper, singer, and songwriter. Alongside close colleague Chad Hugo, he formed the hip hop and R&B production duo the Neptunes in the early 1990s, with whom h ...

, who was one of the festival's headliners. After the performance, Williams hinted at a possible return for the singer. In September 2014, she revealed she was writing for two records: her third solo studio album and her band

No Doubt No Doubt is an American rock band from Anaheim, California, formed in 1986. For most of their career, the band has consisted of vocalist Gwen Stefani, guitarist Tom Dumont, bassist Tony Kanal, and drummer Adrian Young. Since the mid-1990s, t ...

's seventh studio album. She told

MTV News MTV News is the news production division of MTV. The service is available in the US with localized versions on MTV's global network. In February 2016, MTV Networks confirmed it would refresh the MTV News brand in 2016, to compete with the likes ...

: "At this point I'm thinking about both, I can do both. ..And it's just an amazing time; so many opportunities. I'm going into the studio tonight with Pharrell illiams I'm going to be writing and also just seeing what comes along my way. I've been recording a few things." In the same month, Stefani's manager

Irving Azoff Irving Azoff (; born December 12, 1947) is an American entertainment executive and chairman of Full Stop Management, which represents recording artists. In the mid-1980s, he brought success to MCA Records. Since September 2013, he has been chai ...

confirmed she was finishing the record with Williams, as well as planning to perform its lead single live on ''

The Voice The Voice may refer to: Fictional entities * The Voice or Presence, a fictional representation of God in DC Comics * The Voice (''Dune''), a fictional ability in the ''Dune'' universe * The Voice, a character in the American TV series ''Cleop ...

''.

chairman John Janick also revealed that producer

would be the album's

executive producer Executive producer (EP) is one of the top positions in the making of a commercial entertainment product. Depending on the medium, the executive producer may be concerned with management accounting or associated with legal issues (like copyrights ...

and that it was slated to be released sometime in December 2014. On October 20, 2014, Stefani released "

Baby Don't Lie "Baby Don't Lie" is a song recorded by American singer and songwriter Gwen Stefani. Written by Stefani, Ryan Tedder, Benny Blanco and Noel Zancanella, and produced by Tedder and Blanco, "Baby Don't Lie" is a midtempo electropop and reggae-pop tr ...

", produced by Blanco and

Ryan Tedder Ryan Tedder (born June 26, 1979) is an American singer, songwriter, and record producer. As well as being the lead vocalist of the pop rock band OneRepublic, he has an independent career as a songwriter and producer for various artists since th ...

, as the album's tentative lead-single. The song met with a mixed response from critics and saw moderate success on the charts. Soon after it was announced that a new song titled "

Spark the Fire "Spark the Fire" is a song recorded by American singer and songwriter Gwen Stefani. The song was released on December 1, 2014. It was originally intended to be featured on Stefani's third studio album ''This Is What the Truth Feels Like,'' but it ...

" would be released; produced by Pharrell Williams, it was released on December 1, 2014. She revealed to ''

Spin Spin or spinning most often refers to: * Spinning (textiles), the creation of yarn or thread by twisting fibers together, traditionally by hand spinning * Spin, the rotation of an object around a central axis * Spin (propaganda), an intentionally b ...

'' in December 2014 that she worked with

Calvin Harris Adam Richard Wiles (born 17 January 1984), known professionally as Calvin Harris, is a Scottish DJ, record producer, singer, and songwriter who has released six studio albums. His debut studio album, '' I Created Disco'', was released in June ...

Charli XCX Charlotte Emma Aitchison (born 2 August 1992), known professionally as Charli XCX, is an English singer and songwriter. Born in Cambridge and raised in Start Hill, Essex, she began posting songs on Myspace in 2008, which led to her discovery b ...

, and

Sia Sia Kate Isobelle Furler ( ; born 18 December 1975) is an Australian singer and songwriter. Born and raised in Adelaide, she started her career as a singer in the acid jazz band Crisp in the mid-1990s. In 1997, when Crisp disbanded, she rel ...

on the album, and her desire to work with

Chris Martin Christopher Anthony John Martin (born 2 March 1977) is an English singer-songwriter and musician. He is best known as the lead vocalist, pianist, rhythm guitarist and co-founder of the rock band Coldplay. Born in Exeter, Devon, he went to Uni ...

and

Diplo Thomas Wesley Pentz (born November 10, 1978), known professionally as Diplo, is an American DJ and music producer. He is the co-creator and lead member of the electronic dancehall music project Major Lazer, a member of the supergroup LSD wit ...

at some point in the future. Despite performing the Sia-penned track "

Start a War ''Start a War'' is the fourth studio album by American metal band Static-X, released in June 2005. A special version was shipped with an additional DVD titled ''X-Rated''. It is the last album for 15 years to feature Ulrich Wild as a producer an ...

" during a concert, and registering two Charli XCX tracks ("Hard 2 Love" and "Hell Yeah Baby") with the BMI, they were never released physically. In January 2015, the singer revealed she had decided to slow the album's recording process because she felt it was not complete. In May 2015, rapper

LunchMoney Lewis Gamal Kosh Lewis (born January 11, 1988), better known as LunchMoney Lewis, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, and record producer. He is best known for his 2015 single " Bills", which topped the charts in Australia and peaked within t ...

told

Ryan Seacrest Ryan John Seacrest (born December 24, 1974) is an American media personality and producer. He is the co-host of ''Live with Kelly and Ryan'', as well as the host of multiple media shows including ''American Idol'', ''American Top 40'', and '' ...

he was working with Stefani on the record. In August, Stefani filed for divorce from her husband

Gavin Rossdale Gavin McGregor Rossdale (born 30 October 1965) is an English guitarist and actor, best known as the lead singer and rhythm guitarist of the rock band Bush. He helped form Bush in 1992; on the band's separation in 2002, he became the lead singer ...

after almost thirteen years of marriage. In October, Stefani revealed to ''

Entertainment Weekly ''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, and popular cult ...

'' that she scrapped the album and started again, since " didn't feel right. ..I didn't feel fulfilled. That record with Benny was done that way because I had just given birth and had just started on ''The Voice'' and felt like I should do something in music, but what was I going to do? There wasn't enough time. So I tried to make a record where I was just kind of involved—which is how a lot of people do it, but it didn't work for me". She later told

Zane Lowe Alexander Zane Reid Lowe (born 7 August 1973) is a New Zealand radio DJ, live DJ, record producer, and television presenter. After an early career in music creation, production and DJing, he moved to the UK in 1997. He came to prominence thro ...

that she had attempted to curate an entire album, but it did not feel right and she needed to write her own material. She also revealed that she felt inspired again and started writing a lot of songs in a rapid progression, revealing: "I think I have enough for probably two albums. ..I have to write a few more songs, because I feel like, might as well keep going while it's there. ..I got 20 songs. I have a whole record in eight weeks, but I want to keep writing." Stefani also revealed she had worked with musicians

, in addition to production duo

and the

Stargate ''Stargate'' (often stylized in all caps) is a military science fiction media franchise based on the film directed by Roland Emmerich, which he co-wrote with producer Dean Devlin. The franchise is based on the idea of an alien Einstein–Rosen b ...

production team. The album was completed in January 2016. Stefani revealed in an interview with

Ellen DeGeneres Ellen Lee DeGeneres ( ; born January 26, 1958) is an American comedian, television host, actress, writer, and producer. She starred in the sitcom '' Ellen'' from 1994 to 1998, which earned her a Primetime Emmy Award for " The Puppy Episode". S ...

on February 25 that "'four of five' songs" were written in the previous month.

Writing and inspiration

Thematically, Stefani considered the album to be mainly "a breakup record", declaring: "I would consider it a breakup record. ..It just makes me believe in God and my journey. My cross to bear was to go through these heartbreaks and write these songs and help people." The singer also told Ryan Seacrest that while writing the songs for the album during her personal struggles with the end of her marriage, she felt the process was therapeutic. She commented: "The record company was like, 'Listen, we really think your record is too personal and no one is going to relate to this record and maybe you should just put it out as an artistic body of work—don't even think about radio'." She described the sensation of hearing this was like being punched in the stomach. According to Stefani, the various emotions she had experienced in the past year would be reflected on the album. The first songs written for the album had a sarcastic and humorous vibe, while she later described the other songs as having a "realness" to them. The first song written for the album was "You Don't Know Me", a personal song penned with

Rick Nowels Richard Wright Nowels Jr. is an American songwriter, record producer, multi-instrumentalist and arranger. He has co-written and co-produced over 90 hit singles with multiple artists According to the singer, the song was "the first opening of the channel" of her songwriting inspiration. In the early stages, she also wrote a song with

Linda Perry Linda Perry (born April 15, 1965) is an American singer-songwriter, musician, and record producer. She was the lead singer and primary songwriter of 4 Non Blondes, and has since founded two record labels and composed and produced hit songs for s ...

called "Medicine Man" while flying to No Doubt's

Jazz Festival This is a list of notable jazz festivals around the world. Historic jazz festivals Jazz festivals by country The following is an incomplete list of notable jazz festivals, including both current and defunct festivals of note. Africa Angol ...

show in

New Orleans New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans

Another song, "Red Flag", was the first song she wrote with

, Justin Tranter and Julia Michaels. She described it as a "work of art" for "express ngso clearly what hewas oing throughat the time". They also worked on other songs, such as "Naughty", "

", which she considered a "really happy song," and "

", produced by Mattman & Robin, which, having been surprised by the result, she called "so good"!

Themes

''This Is What the Truth Feels Like'' focuses on several themes, including "moving on from a broken relationship" to "falling in love again". Her divorce from Gavin Rossdale served as the main source of inspiration for the former, while her subsequent romance with

Blake Shelton Blake Tollison Shelton (born June 18, 1976) is an American country music singer and television personality. In 2001, he made his debut with the single " Austin". The lead-off single from his self-titled debut album, "Austin" spent five weeks at ...

served as an inspiration for the latter. The singer intended the album to show her desire for "forgiveness" instead of "revenge". Stefani's take on her "messy divorce" is evident in the single "Used to Love You", while tracks like "Send Me a Picture" and "Rare" find her embracing a new love. She kept the news of her divorce hidden from her writing and production teams during the recording sessions, however, Stefani "suspect dher collaborators knew she was in crisis because of her lyrics". When asked in a '' GQ'' interview: "Did you think this project was going to be a heartbreak album? It seems like a falling-in-love album. Was that a surprise?" Stefani responded:

You are right. I did not think anything. I wasn't thinking. I was feeling and I was dying. And then I was just like, You can't go down like this! You have to turn this into music. You have to try, at least. I was so embarrassed by just everything. I just didn't want to be that person that just went down after all of that. A lot of the time in the sessions, they weren't letting me write. They were giving me tracks and doing it all. I was like, Why am I here? Then I got the perfect combination of people to really support me and make me feel confident. It was an amazing awakening. I walked into the session and I was like, You gotta know, I don't care about anything except the truth right here.

John Janick John Janick is an American record executive. He is the chairman and CEO of Interscope Geffen A&M Records. Janick has been named to Billboard’s Power 100 list every year since 2014 and was named Variety's Hitmakers Executive of the year in 2018 ...

, the chairman and CEO of

Interscope Geffen A&M Records Interscope Geffen A&M Records (IGA), is an American umbrella label owned by Universal Music Group, consisting of record labels Interscope Records, Geffen Records, and A&M Records. History Interscope Geffen A&M Records was established in 1999, f ...

, told Stefani that he was unsure of her songs "connect ngwith people", encouraging her to create an "artistic record" and to skip radio altogether. Janick later changed his mind and got in touch with Stefani after listening to "Used to Love You". She called it "the most personal song" she had ever written and appreciated Janick's decision commenting: "That's never happened in my entire career." After writing "Truth", she was inspired to title the album with something similar. By the time several personal themed tracks were completed, Stefani began creating songs dealing with her newfound relationship with Shelton; "Make Me Like You" details "the early stage of their romance", while the title track suggests what the public might think of their romance, with lyrics such as: "They're all gonna say I'm rebounding, so rebound all over me". ''This Is What the Truth Feels Like'' features a range of genres; including pop,

reggae Reggae () is a music genre that originated in Jamaica in the late 1960s. The term also denotes the modern popular music of Jamaica and its diaspora. A 1968 single by Toots and the Maytals, "Do the Reggay" was the first popular song to use the ...

, disco and

dancehall Dancehall is a genre of Jamaican popular music that originated in the late 1970s. Initially, dancehall was a more sparse version of reggae than the roots style, which had dominated much of the 1970s.Barrow, Steve & Dalton, Peter (2004) "The Ro ...

, R&B, hip hop and "punky"

electro-pop Electropop is a hybrid music genre combining elements of electronic and pop genres. Writer Hollin Jones has described it as a variant of synth-pop with heavy emphasis on its electronic sound. The genre was developed in the 1980s and saw a ...

music. Leah Greenblatt of ''Entertainment Weekly'' viewed it as "an album so directly torn from Stefani's recent, much-documented romantic upheavals that it could be called 'The Ballad of Blake and Gavin.

Stephen Thomas Erlewine Stephen Thomas Erlewine (; born June 18, 1973) is an American music critic and senior editor for the online music database AllMusic. He is the author of many artist biographies and record reviews for AllMusic, as well as a freelance writer, oc ...

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the dat ...

added that: "Stefani spends roughly half of the record singing breezy songs of liberation." Sal Cinquemani of ''

Slant Magazine ''Slant Magazine'' is an American online publication that features reviews of movies, music, TV, DVDs, theater, and video games, as well as interviews with actors, directors, and musicians. The site covers various film festivals like the New Yo ...

'' commented: "While an artist converting personal tragedy into creative capital is hardly new, the nakedness with which Stefani assesses the ruins of her relationship is stark, especially compared to the self-proclaimed guilty pleasures of ''

Love. Angel. Music. Baby. ''Love. Angel. Music. Baby.'' is the debut solo studio album by American singer Gwen Stefani, released on November 12, 2004, by Interscope Records. Stefani, who had previously released five studio albums as lead singer of the Rock music, rock ban ...

'' and '' The Sweet Escape''." On writing about both relationships, Stefani claimed: "I don't have any secrets; I don't have anything to hide. I haven't done anything wrong. I'm happy to share my story.

his His or HIS may refer to: Computing * Hightech Information System, a Hong Kong graphics card company * Honeywell Information Systems * Hybrid intelligent system * Microsoft Host Integration Server Education * Hangzhou International School, in ...

is really the only record I've written that's mostly happy; all the others are about heartbreak. And there's some of that on here—it needed that, to make the rest feel as good as it feels."

Music and lyrics

''This Is What the Truth Feels Like'' begins with "Misery". An electropop song with "future-disco beats", the album's third single "captures the highs and lows of being gobsmacked in love". According to Nicki Gostin, writing for the ''

New York Daily News The New York ''Daily News'', officially titled the ''Daily News'', is an American newspaper based in Jersey City, NJ. It was founded in 1919 by Joseph Medill Patterson as the ''Illustrated Daily News''. It was the first U.S. daily printed in Ta ...

'', the song's lyrics are unclear and either detail Stefani's former relationship with Rossdale, or her current relationship with Shelton. The track makes several references to love and drugs through the use of hyperbole and cliches. "You're My Favorite" has "''

Super Mario 64 is a platform game developed and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo 64. It was released in Japan and North America in 1996 and PAL regions in 1997. It is the first ''Super Mario'' game to feature 3D gameplay, combining traditional ''S ...

'' cave synths and tinny,

trap A trap is a mechanical device used to capture or restrain an animal for purposes such as hunting, pest control, or ecological research. Trap or TRAP may also refer to: Art and entertainment Films and television * ''Trap'' (2015 film), Fil ...

-adjacent percussion". The song was dubbed "the most 'Stefani-esque'" by Nicholaus James Jodlowski of ''Reporter'' magazine, while Jillian Mapes of ''

Pitchfork A pitchfork (also a hay fork) is an agricultural tool with a long handle and two to five tines used to lift and pitch or throw loose material, such as hay, straw, manure, or leaves. The term is also applied colloquially, but inaccurately, to ...

'' found it comparable to

Top 40 In the music industry, the Top 40 is the current, 40 most-popular songs in a particular genre. It is the best-selling or most frequently broadcast popular music. Record charts have traditionally consisted of a total of 40 songs. "Top 40" or "conte ...

music. It was compared to her earlier songs, "

Simple Kind of Life "Simple Kind of Life" is a song written by Gwen Stefani for No Doubt's fourth album '' Return of Saturn'' (2000). The song contrasts Stefani's desire to settle down and start a family with her commitment to the band. It received positive reviews ...

", "

Underneath It All "Underneath It All" is a song by American ska band No Doubt from their fourth studio album '' Rock Steady'' (2001). It was written by the band's lead singer Gwen Stefani and David Stewart. The song features a reggae production from Sly and Rob ...

" and "

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" by Theon Weber of ''Spin'' magazine. The third track, "Where Would I Be?", produced by Kurstin, is a reggae-flavored

ska Ska (; ) is a music genre that originated in Jamaica in the late 1950s and was the precursor to rocksteady and reggae. It combined elements of Caribbean mento and calypso with American jazz and rhythm and blues. Ska is characterized by a wal ...

song. Its bridge has a "cheerleader taunt" and, according to Leonie Cooper of ''

NME ''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming, and culture website and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a 'rock inkie', the NME would become a magazine that ended up as a f ...

'', it "sounds like she doesn't give a shit". Lyrically it mentions the possibilities of finding love, particularly in the line "Fill up my Solo Cup when I'm feeling so lonely." Weber found similarities between "Where Would I Be?" and Kurstin's earlier work with

Lily Allen Lily Rose Beatrice Allen (born 2 May 1985) is an English singer-songwriter and actress. She is the daughter of actor Keith Allen and film producer Alison Owen. Her music career began in 2005 when she made some of her vocal recordings public ...

. The album's second single, "Make Me Like You", is a

and disco song, written by Stefani, Tranter, Michaels, Mattias Larsson, and Robin Fredikkson. After the group completed the track, Stefani commented: "We were losing our minds." Its lyrics detail the "complicated feeling of falling hard when neleast expect , as well as reflecting Stefani's personal life. "Truth", the album's title track, is an electropop composition with a guitar hook. According to Sarah Rodman of ''

The Boston Globe ''The Boston Globe'' is an American daily newspaper founded and based in Boston, Massachusetts. The newspaper has won a total of 27 Pulitzer Prizes, and has a total circulation of close to 300,000 print and digital subscribers. ''The Boston Glob ...

'', Shelton was the source of inspiration for the track, which reveals Stefani's "giddy new-crush enthusiasm". Both "Truth" and lead single "

" are described as "truth-telling" songs by

Kitty Empire Kitty Empire is the pen name of a British writer and music critic, currently writing for ''The Observer''. Early life Empire says that she was born in Montreal, Quebec in 1970 and brought up in Canada, Italy and Egypt before arriving in Britain ...

of ''

The Observer ''The Observer'' is a British newspaper Sunday editions, published on Sundays. It is a sister paper to ''The Guardian'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', whose parent company Guardian Media Group, Guardian Media Group Limited acquired it in 1993. ...

''. With "Used to Love You", Stefani comes to terms with herself, dealing with the aftermath of her divorce, and realizing that her relationship with Rossdale is over. Produced by Rotem, the track is a "vulnerable" and "emotional" midtempo

synth-pop Synth-pop (short for synthesizer pop; also called techno-pop; ) is a subgenre of new wave music that first became prominent in the late 1970s and features the synthesizer as the dominant musical instrument. It was prefigured in the 1960s ...

ballad, designed to "showcase her passionate, conflicted vocals". In an interview with ''

Today Today (archaically to-day) may refer to: * Day of the present, the time that is perceived directly, often called ''now'' * Current era, present * The current calendar date Arts, entertainment, and media Films * ''Today'' (1930 film), a 1930 ...

''s

Matt Lauer Matthew Todd Lauer (; born December 30, 1957) is an American former television news personality, best known for his work with NBC News. After serving as a local news personality in New York City on WNBC, his first national exposure was as the ne ...

, Stefani confirmed that the track was inspired by the end of her marriage, and claimed that the song was only written a few weeks before its release. The seventh track, "Send Me a Picture", has dancehall elements, and was described as a

sexting Sexting is sending, receiving, or forwarding sexually explicit messages, photographs, or videos, primarily between mobile phones. It may also include the use of a computer or any digital device. The term was first popularized early in the 21st ...

ode by several publications; furthermore, Mapes stated the song has a "

Bieber Justin Drew Bieber ( ; born March 1, 1994) is a Canadian singer. Bieber is recognized for his genre-melding musicianship and has played an influential role in modern-day popular music. He was discovered by American record executive Scooter ...

-hits-the-islands vibe", while

Annie Zaleski Annie Zaleski is an American music journalist and author. Career Zaleski is a regular writer for mainstream media outlets such as The A.V. Club and NPR Music, and a columnist at ''Salon''. She is based in Cleveland, Ohio where she has won f ...

of ''

The A.V. Club ''The A.V. Club'' is an American online newspaper and entertainment website featuring reviews, interviews, and other articles that examine films, music, television, books, games, and other elements of pop-culture media. ''The A.V. Club'' was cr ...

'' summarized its meaning as "captur ngthe delicious anticipation of a crush potentially texting a snap". "Red Flag" begins with "an intro that sounds like a melting violin", followed by Stefani scorning her ex: "This is what happens when you don't listen to what your mother say." Amanda Dykan of AltWire found it reminiscent of 2000's "

Ex-Girlfriend {{Short pages monitor