EP Review: "Earthly Delights" - David Archuleta
- Jazz Williams
- Aug 19
- 4 min read
Queer ex-Mormon pop artist, David Archuleta, has released his first project in five years. The brand new EP, Earthly Delights, explores romance, vulnerability, liberation, and sexual freedom that felt forbidden in his past.
Tracklist
Give You The World
Crème Brulée
Can I Call You
Lucky
Home
Dulce Amor
David Archuleta is a pop singer-songwriter who was born in Miami, Florida, and grew up in Utah in a Spanish household and of the Mormon faith. He appeared as an American Idol contestant and finished as a runner up on Season 7 in 2008. Shortly after, he released his debut single, “Crush”, and eponymous debut studio album. He continued to release albums consistently up until 2020 when he ultimately decided to take a five year break from those types of music projects. During this time, he discovered himself, came out as a member of the LGBTQ+ community, and he and his mom left the LDS Church. He has since discussed his personal mental health struggles and how the church and his sexuality contributed to his mental decline. After a five year break, he’s back with his new EP, Earthly Delights, and seems to be in a good place. Let’s check out the progress he’s made!
Give You The World
Give You The World is the perfect opener to this project. It’s an honest ballad where he admits to his inability to be open with previous lovers. Vulnerable lyrics like “No, staying in love isn't one of my strengths” and “I don't try to hurt them, I swear” give us more insight into who he is in a relationship. He’s taking accountability for his past mistakes and you can hear the pain and regret in his voice. From a lover’s perspective, it can be really hard to hear those words, but from a listener’s perspective, it’s authentic and relatable.
Crème Brulée
Crème Brûlée shows David in his new skin. He’s oozing with sexual freedom and liberation. He bounces back and forth between English and the romance language of Spanish as he tells his audience how men just fall all over themselves to spend one night with him. I love the way he references food in both the song title and the lyrics such as “Yeah like he's never had sugar before. Don't care bout a main course” and “Oh I'm just your type, sugary and caramelized”. It’s upbeat with a nice flow that makes you want to contort your body in ways you physically can’t. It’s expressive and fun. What’s not to love?
Can I Call You
Can I Call You evokes the feeling of falling in love and wanting to spend every second with that person. A sensual song led by a groovy bass and smooth vocals will make you fall in love with it. He expresses his love for this other person with lyrics like “You can listen to my heart. Boy you're the sweetest like peaches, even if it's just you breathing, that'll do.” It’s the perfect emotional midtempo song that fits his vocal style. It’s very reminiscent of 2000s R&B. From a technical standpoint, this and Crème Brûlée have the best production on the project.
Lucky
Lucky is yet another song that captures my single heart. It’s a ballad driven by sultry vocals and soft, rhythmic drums. He confesses to his lover how grateful he is that he gets to be in his bed. “I feel so lucky to be in this moment ‘cause we waited for it. No, we can't ignore it.” He doesn’t understand how he’s even in this position to begin with. “And my mind, it goes blank every time you say my name ‘cause it's so surreal that you know it.” The atmosphere makes me want to take a late night bath with a glass of red wine and just relax. I feel so lucky to have listened to this song!
Home
Home is a stripped back ballad where he once again shows just how strong his voice has become. He sings the powerful and emotional lyrics: “And these rooms that I grew up in. Never felt like I belonged” and “I found a place I could stay for the very first time when I looked in your eyes cause loving you is like coming home”. Given what he’s said about his sexuality and Mormon faith, I can only assume this is what he’s referencing. Too many queer kids feel shame surrounding their sexuality because of what they’ve been taught in their religion. It’s brave of him to share something so personal that millions of young people have a hard time coming to terms with.
Dulce Amor
Dulce Amor is Spanish for sweet love. If you’re in love, songs like this increase your serotonin and make you blush. My favorite lyric from this song is “I just want more of you every night, that good sugar high. Give me that dulce amor. I just want more.” It’s a beautifully sung ballad where David shows off his strong vocals, great technique, and impressive range. It has the same relaxing atmposhpere I talked about earlier with Lucky. Before this year, I had only listened to “Crush” so I hadn’t realized how much David had matured over the years. He chose the perfect singles to usher in the new era.
Overall, the EP leans into R&B which really suits his voice. I hope he makes more R&B music and releases an album in the near future. Outside of Crème Brûlée and Can I Call You, the slower songs use minimal production causing them to be more chill and easy on the ears. My favorite of the bunch is still Crème Brûlée. I'm not really a ballad person. I love upbeat, fun music, but each song is very good with its own identity and purpose. Davids nails this project and I’m proud to see how far he has come in his personal journey. I wish him continued success. He’s going on tour this fall so I recommend streaming this EP and supporting him on his upcoming tour!
Written By Jazz
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