Something to Give Each Other

Sivan teased the release of the album on 9 June 2023 on Instagram alongside a clip showcasing him throughout different years on a television starting from his first ever upload to YouTube and ending with a teaser for the music video of the album's then upcoming lead single "Rush". Sivan stated in the post caption that he had been making the album for over five years in between various commitments, such as his Bloom tour and the television series The Idol, in which he had a starring role.[1]

Sivan announced the album name and release date and unveiled the cover art on 13 July 2023 on social media.[2]

This album is my something to give you - a kiss on a dancefloor, a date turned into a weekend, a crush, a winter, a summer. Party after party, after party after after party. Heartbreak, freedom. Community, sisterhood, friendship. All that.

— Sivan describing the album[2]

The album cover features Sivan smiling with his head between a friend's legs. Sivan stated that he wanted to smile for the album cover but did not smile throughout the day of the photoshoot because he felt awkward smiling and did not want his smile to look fake. The shot for the album cover captured when Sivan's friend kneeled down and tickled Sivan's ribs, which provoked a genuine smile.[3]

Due to the cover's suggestive nature, countries such as Saudi Arabia and Indonesia, as well as countries in Eastern Europe, replaced it with the single artwork for "Rush" instead, which features a close-up of Sivan.[4]

Professional ratings

Aggregate scores
Source	Rating
Metacritic	82/100[5]
Review scores
Source	Rating
Clash	9/10[6]
The Guardian	[7]
NME	[8]
Pitchfork	8.0/10[9]
Slant Magazine	[10]

Something to Give Each Other received a score of 82 out of 100 on review aggregator Metacritic based on 11 critics' reviews, indicating "universal acclaim".[5] Ben Beaumont-Thomas of The Guardian called it "one of the year's most distinctive pop albums" and while "there are more high tempos, but where 'Rush' was claustrophobic and orgiastic, other tracks give Sivan more space to move".[7] Sal Cinquemani of Slant Magazine wrote that the album "finds Sivan older, bolder, and, for a large part of its running time, unrepentantly horny" and what it "lacks in poignancy, though, is made up for by the joy with which it embraces queer pleasure".[10]

Reviewing the album for Clash, Lauren Dehollogne felt that "a wave of bubbling emotion and challenging energy is palpable throughout Something to Give Each Other, but somehow each transition goes over smoothly and not a single track feels out of place" and "each track [...] can evoke a chuckle, a smile, a tear, or a gasp".[6] Nick Levine of NME opined that aside from "Rush", "the album is mostly midtempo, though with a slightly warmer, gauzier sonic palette than Sivan's previous albums". He concluded that it is "a strikingly vital pop album charged with love, lust, sweat and regret".[8] Harry Tafoya of Pitchfork found the album to be "a showcase for some dazzling eclecticism" as "ideas that couldn't possibly work on paper are executed skillfully and to often gorgeous effect", commenting that it "scans as less of a reinvention than a gradual honing of Sivan's craft".[9]

Notes

• ^{^[v]} signifies a vocal producer.
• The deluxe soft pack CD & deluxe webstore vinyl copies of the album contain the extended version of "Rush" (3:35).
• "Can't Go Back, Baby" contains a sample of "Back, Baby", written and performed by Jessica Pratt.
• "Got Me Started" contains a sample of "Shooting Stars", written by Chris Stracey and Jack Glass, as performed by Bag Raiders.[11]
• "Silly" contains a sample of "Musica (E il resto scompare)" by Elettra Lamborghini.

Musicians

• Troye Sivan – vocals (all tracks), background vocals (tracks 2, 3, 5, 6, 9, 10)
• Zhone – vocals, background vocals (1, 9)
• Adam Novodor – background vocals (1, 9)
• Alex Chapman – background vocals (1, 9)
• Oscar Görres – bass, drums, percussion, programming (2, 3, 5, 6, 9, 10); guitar (2, 3, 5, 6, 9), keyboards (2, 3, 6, 9, 10), background vocals (2, 3, 6), timpani (3), string arrangement (4); organ, piano (5)
• Jason Minnaar – spoken word (2)
• Santa Ouhamou Portillo – spoken word (2)
• Sofia Gallini – spoken word (2)
• David Bukovinszky – cello (4)
• Mattias Bylund – string arrangement, synthesizer (4)
• Karl Guner – synthesizer (4)
• Hanna Helgegren – violin (4)
• Mattias Johansson – violin (4)
• Guitarricadelafuente – vocals (4)
• Styalz Fuego – keyboards, programming (9)
• A. G. Cook – keyboards (10)
• Henki Skidu – saxophone (10)

Technical

• Randy Merrill – mastering
• Alex Ghenea – mixing (1, 4, 7–9)
• Serban Ghenea – mixing (2, 3, 5, 6, 10)
• John Hanes – immersive mix engineering
• Bryce Bordone – engineering (2, 3, 5, 6, 10)