⁠⁠“Welcome back American apparel” — fans poke fun as Addison Rae reveals cover art for 4th prerelease single “Headphones On” out Friday

Addison Rae is back in her indie-pop starlet era, and this time she’s doing it with headphones firmly on. The TikTok sensation-turned-musician just revealed the cover art for her fourth prerelease single, Headphones On, out this Friday, and the internet did what it does best: instantly meme’d it. The cover features Rae in an ultra-saturated, lo-fi aesthetic that screams “2012 Tumblr revival,” prompting fans to toss around everything from Björk comparisons to... Welshness?

One tweet by @3AmEdition summed it up perfectly:

“Welcome back American apparel,”

While another called it “just like high fashion cover,” with the kind of sarcasm only TikTok and Twitter’s finest can deliver. Whether you’re gagged or gagging, one thing’s clear—Addison Rae’s rollout is anything but quiet.

Addison Rae leans into glitchy nostalgia with her latest single drop, but fans aren’t sure if it’s Tumblr-chic or early 2010s cosplay gone rogue

The internet did what it always does when a Y2K-coded pop star drops a new single cover that looks like it time-traveled from a 2011 Urban Outfitters catalog — responded with zero chill, maximum meme energy, and a sprinkle of existential confusion.

First came the aesthetic snobs and digital curators, stunned by the sudden shift from her previous sleek visuals:

“I mean atleast it could be a little better... how did we come from diet pepsi to this” -@keystarolet

“Her worst single cover I fear” -@bunnymaskstan

“the fake gagging in the comments.. this is a*s just like high fashion cover” -@kyomitanked

Then entered the pop culture scholars, decoding Addison’s pixelated look with chaotic reverence and cultural references galore:

“Björk of our generation” -@matiassss_____

“Why does she serve Bjork DOWNNN. here I love her mind” -@4sturi4s

“no one can see her vision and its okay not everyone should have taste” -@beravurgun

Of course, there were the Tumblr revivalists and alt-girls in the room who felt way too seen:

“is tumblr in the room with us?” -@HAUNTEDBYSIVAN

“looks like it's a 2010s inspired aesthetic” -@privacco_

And finally, the completely unhinged observers who dropped in from another dimension just to cause digital whiplash:

“I can’t explain it but it whole cover looks Welsh 🏴"-@casyla_nirtac

The vibe? Somewhere between “avant-garde flop era” and “accidentally iconic.” Despite the range of reactions, the cover is undeniably intentional. It taps into an aesthetic sweet spot that feels like Rae is trying to bottle a very specific type of internet nostalgia—the kind that smells faintly of American Apparel, Apple Photo Booth filters, and existential tweets about listening to Grimes alone in your room.

Background: Addison Rae's debut album rollout and alt-pop rebrand

Headphones On marks the final prerelease track before Addison Rae's highly anticipated debut album, AR, drops on May 10. The full album will feature nine tracks, with four of them—Nothing On (But the Radio), 2 Die 4, It Could’ve Been U, and now Headphones On—already unveiled ahead of the release. The rollout strategy is minimalist and retro-inspired, mirroring the album’s sonic themes of pop fantasy, heartbreak, and introspection with a wink.

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Surprisingly, Addison Rae's creative collaborators include experimental icon Arca, which raised eyebrows and expectations. Rae described the album as a blend of vulnerability and pop drama, mixing Y2K fantasy with modern alt-pop flair. In short: she’s serious about music—and not just vibing. The full tracklist promises more of the chaotic charm Rae has built her alt-pop persona on, with influences ranging from classic Paris Hilton tracks to unreleased Britney demos.

She’s not just playing pop star—she’s making it a performance art piece.

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