As a preteen in the late 2000s, Australia’s Cody Simpson became an online sensation with his covers of pop songs. But since moving to L.A. in 2010, Simpson has pursued music alongside his other passion—swimming—at the highest levels while also popping up in the gossip pages because of his romances with the likes of Gigi Hadid and Miley Cyrus. He took a break from recording new music for a few years, until a 2019 victory on his homeland’s version of The Masked Singer lured him back to pop. Simpson's self-titled fourth album—and first in seven years—was recorded in West Hollywood while he paused his training for the 2024 Olympics, and it takes stock of his charmed-on-the-surface life with light surf-pop that revels in water metaphors and, at times, mushrooms into arena-rock spectacle. His muscular voice adds gravitas to his reflections on boldface-name break-ups (see: the swirling ballad "Heroine"), while lilting melodies lighten heavier moments like the determined "Across the Sea" and sweeten more romantic songs like the luminous "Calm".