Rating: 9/10

Who knew the girl who wore Cookie Monster pajama pants in high school could make good music?

Catherine Garner — more commonly known as Slayyyter — released her fourth record, “Wor$t Girl in America,” after a run of five critically acclaimed singles releases since August 2025. Referred to as “iPod music” by Slayyter herself, this record takes most of its inspiration from early 2000s pop culture icons such as Madonna and is directly influenced by actress Brittany Murphy. 

“Wor$t Girl in America” is better described as a vibe than an album: a brash piece of art that assaults the listener’s ear with hyperpop chaos that reveals a beating heart underneath. 

Growing up in Missouri, Slayyyter was influenced by her Catholic school upbringing and refers to herself as a “trashy Missouri bar girl”; oftentimes, her friends refer to themselves as the “worst.” While you might think that being called the worst could be the most awful thing in the world, to Slayyyter, it acts as a term of endearment. 

In an interview with Culted, Slayyyter explained why she describes herself as the worst girl in America: “It’s also a catch-all phrase for how I feel a lot of the time. In music or just in life, in social settings, in high school, I always felt like an odd one out.” Being an outsider can be incredibly alienating, but it provides artists like Slayyter the opportunity to create music without the restrictions that many pop stars face.

In an attempt to explore what it’s like to be the worst girl in America, Slayyyter casts a wide net and creates a sonic landscape that is somehow varied in its influences and cohesive in its greater message. From the electric dance pop ballad that is ironically called “DANCE” to an actual “PRAYER” interlude, there is something for everyone to enjoy while listening.

However, this album shines the brightest when the music itself embraces a sort of uncomfortable sound that most traditional listeners would likely be turned off by. The greatest proponent of this idea comes in the form of “CRANK,” an explosive song that uses a sample eerily similar to the Emergency Alert System tone and has fantastic lyricism that repeatedly references Richard Linklater’s famous film, “Dazed and Confused.”

This is not the only film reference within this album, as Slayyyter likes to make references to many films and their actors throughout the album. My personal favorite track is “BRITTANY MURPHY,” referencing the late actress of the same name who shares a lot of physical traits with Slayyyter. 

This final track caps the end of the album with an earworm of a production and shockingly dark lyrics. The song is essentially the answer to how Slayyter would want people to view her at her own funeral. Lines like “Is my face too disgusting for an open casket?” remind the listener that this album is so much more than a surface-level pop album. 

That is not to say that every song lives up to the hype. While fun, songs like “GAS STATION,” “I’M ACTUALLY KIND OF FAMOUS and “CANNIBALISM” don’t add that much to an album already full of high-energy pop songs. 

A pop album lives or dies by the visuals it’s able to create, and “Wor$t Girl in America” is not afraid to go all in on its concept. The lead single, “BEAT UP CHANEL$,” is a clear example of this, full of energy, fun and lyricism that is accompanied by one of the best music videos I’ve seen in the past year.

Beyond the music videos, Slayyyter’s performances bring so much depth to her music. Just recently, she performed at Coachella to an astonishingly large audience, which could prove to be her fast pass to mainstream stardom, as we have seen the trend of artists who garnered massive amounts of fame after successful Coachella sets. Just look at the rise of Chappell Roan a few years ago. 

Nonetheless, it’s going to be an uphill battle for this Missouri-born pop starlet to take over the world, for her genre of music can turn off many listeners. However, she has positioned herself to create insanely creative tracks that harken back to the days of when you would listen to music on an iPod. Very few artists can say the same. 

“Wor$t Girl in America” was Slayyyter’s last-ditch effort to create an artistically fulfilling album, as she was considering leaving the industry. Slayyyter recognized that she could not be an up-and-coming artist forever, so this album’s purpose was to bring herself to the mainstream. I would say she has accomplished this goal and looks to become a dominant force in the music industry.

Wyatt Pickering is a business honors and finance junior and opinion columnist for The Battalion.