Lizzy McAlpine has stepped into a new sound with her fourth studio album, “Angel,” released Sept. 18. Known for her soft vocals and in-depth lyrics, McAlpine leans further into folk-inspired production while taking listeners through the stages of love, heartbreak, grief and acceptance. The result is an album that feels familiar to McAlpine’s longtime listeners but still introduces a new era in her work.
This shift began on her third studio album, “Older,” which had a more pop-folk sound than her previous indie-pop work. On “Angel” she truly embraces folk, even stating in an interview with Vogue that she was inspired by folk icons like Joni Mitchell, Nick Drake and Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young.
Here are some of my favorites from the 14-track album.
“The light in the painting” opens the album and, to me, feels the most reminiscent of McAlpine’s previous work, having more indie-folk undertones. The song is about a new connection and how exciting that can be. It feels like a transition into a new era of her music, while also reflecting a new era of herself.
The song sets the tone for the rest of the album, reminding listeners of McAlpine’s beautiful lyricism with lines like “Sink my nails into your skin / What a beautiful way to finally feel something.” The song also introduces the folk-inspired production that makes “Angel” different from anything else she has done before.
On first listen, I didn’t love this song. I thought the lyrics were a little plain for an artist like McAlpine, who has such intricate lyrics that can often sound like poetry. But as I listened more, I came to understand the deep underlying grief buried within her words.
She sings, “I thought it’d be different, a year ago / I know that this is right /And I know that it is sad.” To me, these lyrics perfectly capture the conflict of being crushed by the loss of love while also knowing deep down it's what had to happen to continue moving forward in life. The simplicity of the lyrics ended up being what made the song so emotionally effective; their straightforward nature captured the complicated and conflicting emotions that come with knowing something is right, even when it still hurts.
“A car wash and a new pair of pants”
This song was so refreshing for me. One of my only issues with this album is that, at times, each song sounded too similar to the last. But this song added some diversity to the track list with its bubbly folk production. The piano backing was a highlight for me, making it the type of beat you want to dance to.
As fun as the production is, it almost covers up the fact that the lyrics of this song are some of the most devastating on the whole album. At first, the production feels silly and jolly, but underneath that is an incredible insight into fame and love, as well as the pain of merging someone’s life into your own and the jealousy that can come with that.
I think this might be my favorite song on the album. It takes a truly great artist to capture such a specific feeling of hating and loving a person at the same time. The song encapsulates trying to be angry and remember all the ugly things that someone did, while also having a lingering affection for them because you planned your life around them.
McAlpine sings “Hiding your sweatshirt on the top shelf,” and then goes on to say, “Seems like you want to burn this city down, to hurt me.” I think the song is able to sum up the complexity of heartbreak and its often-bittersweet nature.
“Angel”
The last song on the album, “Angel” is a full-circle moment, where she finally finds acceptance within herself. Its focus is on self-identity and the true human experience of finding yourself again after losing who you are in others. This song felt like the light at the end of the tunnel, and it truly highlights the new era of McAlpine.
What really stuck out to me about the album is the truth that love can be complex, and our feelings are sometimes not so cut and dry. She portrayed such a human experience of finding out who you are outside of a relationship and acknowledging the pain of moving on and the heartache that comes with losing someone who still has a part of your heart
Although this album might not groundbreaking, it is a deeply enjoyable listen and an exciting addition to McAlpine’s body of work.
