Who's the Clown?

Last updated

Who's the Clown?
Who'stheClown%3FAlbumCover.png
Studio album by
ReleasedAugust 15, 2025
Genre
Length34:54
Label RCA
Producer Ricky Gourmet
Singles from Who's the Clown?
  1. "Sue Me"
    Released: May 9, 2025
  2. "Bowling Alley"
    Released: June 20, 2025
  3. "Wet Hair"
    Released: July 23, 2025
  4. "Thirst Trap"
    Released: August 15, 2025

Who's the Clown? is the debut studio album by American singer-songwriter Audrey Hobert. It was released on August 15, 2025, through RCA Records.

Contents

Background

After graduating from New York University in 2021, Hobert went on to work as a writer's production assistant at Warner Bros. and later served as a staff writer for the Nickelodeon sitcom The Really Loud House . [2] [3] She has been best friends with American singer-songwriter Gracie Abrams since they were in fifth grade. [4] She ventured into songwriting in 2024, co-writing multiple songs on Abrams's second studio album, The Secret of Us , [5] including "That's So True". [6] Hobert made guest appearances throughout the Secret of Us Tour to perform the song with Abrams. [7] [8] In 2025, she co-wrote the songs "Start All Over" with English singer-songwriter Alessi Rose and "Concrete" with her brother, Malcolm Todd. [9]

Promotion

Hobert announced her debut single "Sue Me" on April 22, 2025, which was to be released on May 9. [10] [11] Her second single "Bowling Alley" was released on June 20, 2025. [12] [13] The third single titled "Wet Hair" was released on July 23, 2025. [14] [15] The album was announced the same day. [16] The tracklist was announced on August 7, 2025. [3]

"Sue Me", "Bowling Alley", and "Wet Hair" all had music videos upon their release, all of which were directed by Hobert. [3]

Following the release, "Thirst Trap" became the album's fourth single. [17]

Critical reception

Who's the Clown? ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Clash 8/10 [18]
Pitchfork 6.9/10 [19]
Rolling Stone Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [20]

Eduarda Goulart of Clash claimed Hobert put pop music "in good hands", specifically praising her comedic style and her ability to "[make] the listener feel like a close friend" with her storytelling. However, Goulart also criticized the album for being repetitive, expressing that "[Hobert] benefits from sharing her process with someone, and the lack of clear references and perspective could be settled with the addition of one more producer/co-writer."

John Lonsdale of Rolling Stone similarly praised Hobert as "one of pop's great new voices", adding that her previous experience as a screenwriter made the album "cinematic" with songs that "deserve their own coming-of-age miniseries". Lonsdale also favorably compared tracks like "Chateau" and "Phoebe" to the works of Avril Lavigne, the Chicks, and Taylor Swift.

Arielle Gordon of Pitchfork said the songs on Who's the Clown? fittingly sound like an extension of her work on Abrams’ world, which were verbose, conversational, and unfiltered. However, she claimed the album faltered in its second half, stating Hobert uses specificity as a crutch and struggled to transcend the biographical details of her own life. [21]

Track listing

All tracks are produced by Ricky Gourmet.

Who's the Clown? track listing
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."I Like to Touch People" Audrey Hobert 2:04
2."Sue Me"2:50
3."Drive"
  • Hobert
  • Fildey
2:16
4."Wet Hair"Hobert3:07
5."Bowling Alley"Hobert2:34
6."Thirst Trap"Hobert3:05
7."Chateau"Hobert3:18
8."Sex and the City"Hobert2:49
9."Shooting Star"
  • Hobert
  • Fildey
2:58
10."Don't Go Back to His Ass"
  • Hobert
  • Fildey
2:57
11."Phoebe"Hobert3:53
12."Silver Jubilee"
  • Hobert
  • Fildey
2:58
Total length:34:54

Personnel

Credits adapted from Tidal. [22]

Musicians

Technical

References

  1. Kaplan, Ilana (August 13, 2025). "Audrey Hobert on Wanting to 'Scare' People with Debut Album Artwork, Writing 'That's So True' with Gracie Abrams (Exclusive)". People . Retrieved August 18, 2025.
  2. "Allow Us to Introduce You to Gracie Abrams's Best Friend and Singer-Songwriter, Audrey Hobert". Cosmopolitan . Archived from the original on January 1, 2025. Retrieved August 13, 2025.
  3. 1 2 3 Gomez Sarmiento, Isabella (August 13, 2025). "Pop music's funniest newcomer is Audrey Hobert". NPR . Retrieved August 13, 2025.
  4. McCarthy, Lauren (May 13, 2025). "Audrey Hobert On 'Sue Me' & Songwriting With Gracie Abrams". Nylon . Retrieved May 16, 2025.
  5. Armstrong, Megan (June 21, 2024). "Gracie Abrams Is Ready To Share Her Secrets". Uproxx . Retrieved August 13, 2025.
  6. "Audrey Hobert on Wanting to 'Scare' People with Debut Album Artwork, Writing 'That's So True' with Gracie Abrams (Exclusive)". People.com. Retrieved August 14, 2025.
  7. Robinson, KiMi (August 7, 2025). "Gracie Abrams debuts brand-new song with best friend Audrey Hobert in concert". USA Today . Retrieved August 13, 2025.
  8. Robinson, KiMi. "Gracie Abrams debuts brand-new song with best friend Audrey Hobert in concert". USA Today. Retrieved August 14, 2025.
  9. Duran, Anagricel (January 2, 2025). "Alessi Rose kicks off 2025 with amorous new song 'Start All Over'". NME. Retrieved August 14, 2025.
  10. Hobert, Audrey (April 22, 2025). "My first single "Sue me" is coming out. pre-save at the link in my bio Shall we??????". Instagram. Retrieved August 14, 2025.
  11. "Audrey Hobert Just Accidentally Became Your Next Favorite Pop Star". Cosmopolitan. May 9, 2025. Retrieved August 14, 2025.
  12. Hobert, Audrey (June 11, 2025). "My next song "Bowling alley" is coming out June 20th!!! It's my very fav". Instagram. Retrieved August 14, 2025.
  13. Stefanos, Chancey (June 20, 2025). "Audrey Hobert Rolls a Strike with "Bowling alley"". Ones to Watch. Retrieved August 14, 2025.
  14. Hobert, Audrey (July 16, 2025). "Wet Hair out July 23rd, next Wednesday 9am PST👀". Instagram. Retrieved August 14, 2025.
  15. Libby, Giselle (July 25, 2025). "Audrey Hobert Goes Out With "Wet Hair" to Announce Highly Anticipated Debut Album". Ones to Watch. Retrieved August 14, 2025.
  16. Moran, Robert (August 13, 2025). "Pop has a new clown princess. And she's made the most fun album of the year". The Age. Retrieved August 14, 2025.
  17. Jacob, Lola (August 15, 2025). "Audrey Hobert shares her debut album 'Who's The Clown?'. | Coup de Main Magazine". coupdemainmagazine.com. Retrieved August 15, 2025.
  18. Goulart, Eduarda (August 15, 2025). "Audrey Hobert – Who's The Clown?". Clash . Retrieved August 15, 2025.
  19. Gordon, Arielle (August 21, 2025). "Who's the Clown? Audrey Hobert". Pitchfork . Retrieved August 30, 2025.
  20. Lonsdale, John (August 14, 2025). "Audrey Hobert Is the Star of Her Show". Rolling Stone . Retrieved August 15, 2025.
  21. Gordon, Arielle. "Audrey Hobert: Who's the Clown?". Pitchfork. Retrieved August 30, 2025.
  22. "Who's the Clown / Audrey Hobert / Credits / Who's the Clown? / Audrey Hobert". Tidal. August 15, 2025. Retrieved August 15, 2025.