“Sweet But Psycho” may be artist Ava Max’s most well-known song, due to its catchy nature. Released in 2018, the song was the first single from her debut studio album, Heaven & Hell (2020). It currently has over 1.3 billion streams on Spotify. After dominating radio stations for months, there are mixed feelings about the song—especially the repetitive lyrics. Max sings, “Oh, she’s sweet but a psycho / A little bit psycho / At night, she’s screamin’ / ‘I’m-ma-ma-ma out my mind.’”

Though some find it annoying, the song features a great rhythm and has an overall excellent vibe.

From her second studio album Diamonds & Dancefloors, set to come out in late January, Max has released two singles: “Million Dollar Baby” and “Maybe You’re the Problem.”

“Maybe You’re the Problem” might just be the greatest pop song of the decade. Featuring the same upbeat and positive vibe as “Sweet But Psycho,” the track has much stronger lyrics and really encapsulates Max’s development as an artist.

One of the best lines from the track is, “Okay, you, you see a pattern / Your point of view, got it all backward / You should take your little finger and just point it in the mirror / Baby, maybe you’re the problem.”

This lyric not only has a great rhyme scheme but a great message, too. Max expresses to her audience that they should not always blame themselves, something incredibly important for young people to hear.

“Million Dollar Baby” while also a great track, is not quite as strong as “Maybe You’re the Problem.”

“Million Dollar Baby” does display the same growth of Max as an Artist from “Sweet But Psycho.” A standout lyric from the track is, “And once in a while / I’ll go walkin’ in the twilight, countin’ down to midnight / Close my eyes and wait for her to shine / I’m hidin’ in the shadows, prayin’ that she’ll break free / In the dark of the night, she got danger on her mind.”

This lyric features the same excellent rhyme scheme as “Maybe You’re the Problem,” but the story and message behind the track are lacking.

“Maybe Your the Problem” and “Million Dollar Baby” offer an excellent indication of what’s to come in Max’s second album. If her growth from “Sweet But Psycho” is any indication, Diamonds & Dancefloors will surely be a top album of 2023.