Worldwide Torture

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Worldwide Torture was me saying, "I'm here, I exist, and this is what you need to know about me as an artist." [...] I wanted to be as shocking as possible, to be an 'edge lord' and to get people's attention—which I did.

—Jazmin Bean [18]

Worldwide Torture features an experimental sound spanning multiple genres whilst drawing primarily from pop music and heavy metal; [19] [20] music critics additionally categorized the EP as alternative pop, [21] electropop, [9] hyperpop, [22] electronic rock, [22] and nu metal. [9] [23] Its songs feature guitar-driven compositions, [9] distorted electronics, [5] nursery rhyme rhythms, [22] and sound effects including screams, laughter, and gunshots. [16] Bean intended the songs to indivually reflect the music genres they liked, [11] and for the sound effects to help them stand out more and structure the EP. [16] They drew inspiration from underground and electronic music and their parents' backgrounds in rock bands, [16] as well as "hyper femme and hyper crazy art", [11] film soundtracks, [16] and the works of Jim Henson, [11] Ari Aster and Tim Burton; they highlighted the soundtracks of the films Corpse Bride and Midsommar for their orchestral qualities. [16]

The lyrics of Worldwide Torture explore themes of romance, emotions, [16] trauma, abuse, fighting back, and regaining control. [5] Chuck Campbell of the Knoxville News Sentinel described the lyrics as juxtaposing "fierce braggadocio" with "disturbingly deep insecurities", [22] whilst Sophie Walker of The Forty-Five wrote that they "keep [Bean's] heart under lock and key, protected by a fortress of don't-fuck-with-me threats". [2] Bean initially described themselves as representing a "character" on the EP that they hoped people could "relate and attach to that they can watch be hyper femme and crazy and theatrical and feel no shame for it." [11] They later said the EP's character was intended to help them cope with and protect themselves from abusive situations they could not talk about at the time, and that it "was written from the perspective of what I wished that I could have done". [5] [18]

Songs

Jael Goldfine of Paper considering the first verse of Worldwide Torture's opening title track to be "the mission statement for Jazmin's universe". [11] "Princess Castle", featuring Cottontail, blends alternative pop, [17] heavy metal, and electropop; [24] Robin Murray of Clash labelled it "trans-dimensional pop music". [17] Bean said song is about "disregarding someone, but it's about something kind of completely different." [25] "Saccharine" presents conflicting feelings over a crush and fears of vulnerability and intimacy over a "Jekyll and Hyde" instrumental switching between "grinding, distorted rock" and "dreamy pop", according to Goldfine. [11] Titled after the eponymous character, [13] "Hello Kitty" is a speed metal track [14] about Bean being "depressed and friendless" in school and using cartoons and toys as a way to cope; [13] they later claimed to have written it as a joke. [3] [14] The last track of the EP's standard edition, "Little Lamb", is an "industrial goth musical" [22] displaying Bean's affinity for lambs and their symbolism. [9]

Reissued editions of Worldwide Torture add six additional tracks. [18] [24] "Yandere" is a sequel to "Saccharine" that sees Bean accepting the feelings they had on the latter song and outlining their devotion and willingness to murder anyone who gets in the way of them over "fluttering" keyboards and heavy guitars. [16] The bass-heavy [1] "Monster Truck" features alternating segments displaying Bean's "sinister, baby-doll sweetness" and a "vicious, screamo freak-out" by guest vocalist Zheani. [26] Yusuf Baala of Dazed likened "War Zone Urchin" to "a nymph in an enchanted forest, to a Britney Spears fantasy commercial, to piercing screams that sounds like fairies getting their wings ripped off." [23] Bean wrote "B4 the Flight" during a time they were heartbroken, and struggled to complete the song for months as they kept crying every time they tried to record vocals. [2] Walker considered Bean's cover of "I'm a Slave 4 U" by Britney Spears to be an "antidote" to the original song; [2] Campbell likewise called the cover a "deconstructed mess" that shows Bean "[turning] cultural icons inside-out". [22]

Reception

Worldwide Torture
Jazmin Bean Worldwide Torture.jpg
EP by
Jazmin Bean
Released22 October 2019
StudioOctagon (Brixton)
Genre
Length15:50
Label
  • Aswang Birthday Cake
Producer
Jazmin Bean chronology
Worldwide Torture
(2019)		 Traumatic Livelihood
(2024)
Singles from Worldwide Torture
  1. "Worldwide Torture"
    Released: 1 August 2019
  2. "Saccharine"
    Released: 22 October 2019
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Knoxville News Sentinel 4/5 [22]

Emily Swingle of Gay Times praised Worldwide Torture for consistently being "positively carnivorous and unflinchingly bold". [5] Günseli Yalcinkaya of Dazed remarked that it "sounds like nightmarish fever dream—in the best way possible." [27] Campbell of the Knoxville News Sentinel believed that, in spite of the "unapologetically histrionic" EP's "derivative roots", music fans "should be impressed by Jazmin Bean's commitment to the cause" and that it would "sound radical" to "those less experienced in music history". [22] In 2021, The Forty-Five listed "Monster Truck" as the 41st best hyperpop song of all time. [26]

By October 2023, Worldwide Torture had received over 500 million streams. [28] Kerrang! 's George Garner said that Bean's "iconically demonic (or demonically iconic) image" and accompying "talent for splicing metal and hyperpop" on the EP helped "[mark] the arrival of a major new audio-visual artist". [29] According to Swingle, Bean "proved how far alternative innovation could be stretched" with the EP and "[inspired] a wave of grunge-tinged artists to arise in their wake". [5] Bean had not anticipated that the EP would be successful or that it would translate well with their makeup following on social media. [30] Over time, Bean felt increasingly limited by the "character" and style associated with Worldwide Torture and decided to abandon it on their eighteenth birthday. [3] [29] Despite this, they remain proud of EP and what they accomplished through it. [5] In 2023, Bean covered "Saccharine", "Yandere" and "Little Lamb" on their Acoustic Church Session EP. [18]

Track listing

Worldwide Torture– Standard edition track listing
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."Worldwide Torture"
Draper3:33
2."Princess Castle" (featuring Cottontail)
  • Bean
  • Dougal Drummond
  • Brian Zuniga
Drummond3:33
3."Saccharine"
Winter2:59
4."Hello Kitty"
  • Bean
  • Drummond
  • Kristian Gilroy
  • Drummond
  • Gilroy
2:31
5."Little Lamb"
  • Bean
  • Drummond
  • Gilroy
  • Drummond
  • Gilroy
3:13
Total length:15:50
Worldwide Torture– Reissue track listing
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."Worldwide Torture"
  • Bean
  • Draper
Draper3:33
2."Saccharine"
  • Bean
  • Winter
Winter2:59
3."Yandere"
  • Bean
  • Winter
Winter3:31
4."Monster Truck" (featuring Zheani)
  • Bean
  • Winter
  • Zheani
Winter3:56
5."Princess Castle" (featuring Cottontail)
  • Bean
  • Drummond
  • Zuniga
Drummond3:32
6."War Zone Urchin"
  • Bean
  • Winter
Winter4:04
7."B4 the Flight"
  • Bean
  • Winter
  • Bean
  • Winter
5:10
8."Super Slaughter"
  • Bean
  • Winter
Winter2:45
9."I'm a Slave 4 U" (Britney Spears cover)
Winter3:23
10."Hello Kitty"
  • Bean
  • Drummond
  • Gilroy
  • Drummond
  • Gilroy
2:31
11."Little Lamb"
  • Bean
  • Drummond
  • Gilroy
  • Drummond
  • Gilroy
3:13
Total length:38:41

Personnel

Adapted from liner notes [6] and Tidal. [31]

Release history

Release history for Worldwide Torture
Initial release dateLabelFormatRef.
22 October 2019Aswang Birthday CakeDigital download, streaming [10]
11 November 2020
Digital download, streaming [16]
10 September 2021CD [33]
LP [34]
Cassette [35]

Notes

  1. ↑ Bean is agender and uses they/them pronouns. [3]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Donelson, Marcy. "Jazmin Bean Songs, Albums, Reviews, Bio & More..." AllMusic . Archived from the original on 9 July 2025. Retrieved 7 July 2025.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Walker, Sophie (10 November 2020). "Tremors // Jazmin Bean is here for your nightmares". The Forty-Five. Archived from the original on 11 November 2020. Retrieved 16 September 2025.
  3. 1 2 3 Nunn, Jerry (6 October 2024). "Jazmin Bean talks Traumatic Livelihood backstage at House of Blues". GoPride Chicago. Archived from the original on 9 November 2024. Retrieved 8 July 2025.
  4. 1 2 3 4 Brzezicka, Alex (2021). "Generation Tomorrow: Jazmin Bean". tmrw. Archived from the original on 8 July 2025. Retrieved 16 September 2025.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Swingle, Emily (4 May 2023). "The metamorphosis of Jazmin Bean is upon us". Gay Times . Archived from the original on 29 May 2024. Retrieved 24 June 2024.
  6. 1 2 Jazmin Bean (2021). Worldwide Torture (liner notes). Aswang Birthday Cake/Interscope/Island Records. 3854134.
  7. ↑ Mar 2023, 6:55–7:08.
  8. ↑ "Worldwide Torture - Single". Apple Music . 1 August 2019. Archived from the original on 7 October 2020. Retrieved 19 September 2025.
  9. 1 2 3 4 5 Barnes, Kelsey (4 March 2024). "Jazmin Bean: "How can anything ever change if you don't feel shame about it?" | Interview". The Line of Best Fit . Archived from the original on 25 April 2024. Retrieved 11 June 2025.
  10. 1 2 "Worldwide Torture - Jazmin Bean | Album". AllMusic . Archived from the original on 9 July 2025. Retrieved 19 September 2025.
  11. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Goldfine, Jael (22 October 2019). "Instagram Star Jazmin Bean Debuts New Single "Saccharine"". Paper . Archived from the original on 19 August 2023. Retrieved 14 July 2025.
  12. ↑ Mar 2023, 6:52–6:58.
  13. 1 2 3 Murray, Robin (10 December 2019). "Jazmin Bean's 'Hello Kitty' Is Utterly Remarkable". Clash . Archived from the original on 20 September 2025. Retrieved 16 September 2025.
  14. 1 2 3 Wilson, Sophie (26 February 2024). "Jazmin Bean: the shape-shifting popstar writing their way out of the darkness". NME . Archived from the original on 26 February 2024. Retrieved 9 June 2025.
  15. ↑ Avila, Daniela; Irwin, Jack (10 November 2023). "Meet the Talented Emerging Artists Making Their Mark This Winter". People . Archived from the original on 11 February 2025. Retrieved 24 September 2025.
  16. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Matozzo, Marissa (30 October 2020). "Jazmin Bean Premieres "Yandere" Music Video". Paper . Archived from the original on 5 October 2023. Retrieved 14 July 2025.
  17. 1 2 3 Murray, Robin (11 November 2020). "Jazmin Bean Shares New Single 'Princess Castle'". Clash . Archived from the original on 13 November 2020. Retrieved 16 September 2025.
  18. 1 2 3 4 "Jazmin Bean". AXS . 2023. Archived from the original on 1 December 2023. Retrieved 20 September 2025.
  19. ↑ Williams, Kyann-Sian (22 February 2024). "Jazmin Bean – 'Traumatic Livelihood' review: an honest step forward". NME . Archived from the original on 6 June 2025. Retrieved 24 June 2024.
  20. ↑ Bateman, Kristen (28 April 2020). "Jazmin Bean Dazed 100". Dazed . Archived from the original on 9 May 2020. Retrieved 20 September 2025.
  21. ↑ Lyne, Jonathan (23 January 2024). "Empfehlung des Tages: Jazmin Bean – You Know What You've Done" [Recommendation of the Day: Jazmin Bean – You Know What You’ve Done]. Diffus (in German). Archived from the original on 20 September 2025. Retrieved 20 September 2025.
  22. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Campbell, Chuck (23 October 2020). "Undaunted Robin Thicke bounces back on 'Earth'". Knoxville News Sentinel . Archived from the original on 12 December 2020. Retrieved 15 September 2025.
  23. 1 2 Baala, Yusuf (31 December 2019). "The 10 best moments, dramas and trends in 2019's weird world of pop". Dazed . Archived from the original on 31 December 2019. Retrieved 22 September 2025.
  24. 1 2 "Jazmin Bean - Princess Castle ft. Cottontail Video". Contactmusic.com . 12 November 2020. Archived from the original on 18 November 2020. Retrieved 16 September 2025.
  25. ↑ Mar 2023, 10:01–10:11.
  26. 1 2 Walker, Sophie (10 February 2021). "The 45 best hyperpop songs of all time". The Forty-Five. Archived from the original on 10 February 2021. Retrieved 16 September 2025.
  27. ↑ Yalcinkaya, Günseli (13 November 2020). "6 albums to stream this week". Dazed . Archived from the original on 13 November 2020. Retrieved 22 September 2025.
  28. ↑ Jamieson, Sarah (16 October 2023). "Jazmin Bean announces debut album 'Traumatic Livelihood'". DIY . Archived from the original on 19 October 2023. Retrieved 20 September 2025.
  29. 1 2 Garner, George (25 March 2024). "Jazmin Bean: "I don't think this is a healed album, or a wounded one. It's a healing album"". Kerrang! . Archived from the original on 25 March 2024. Retrieved 9 June 2025.
  30. ↑ Mar 2023, 5:27–6:04.
  31. ↑ "Worldwide Torture / Jazmin Bean / Credits". Tidal . 11 November 2020. Archived from the original on 16 September 2025. Retrieved 16 September 2025.
  32. ↑ "Jazmin Bean – Dazed 100". Dazed (Gallery). p. 1. Archived from the original on 15 October 2025. Retrieved 15 October 2025.
  33. ↑ "Worldwide Torture CD". Jazmin Bean. Archived from the original on 6 August 2021. Retrieved 16 September 2025.
  34. ↑ "Worldwide Torture Pink Vinyl 12". Jazmin Bean. Archived from the original on 3 August 2021. Retrieved 16 September 2025.
  35. ↑ "Worldwide Torture Pink Cassette". Jazmin Bean. Archived from the original on 4 August 2021. Retrieved 16 September 2025.

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