By Reigha Weaver | Arts & Life Writer
In her long-awaited fourth studio album, “Angel,” Lizzy McAlpine takes the listener on a journey of expression, love, yearning, personal experiences, grief and disappointment. As a McAlpine fan myself, I listened to “Angel” and heard a familiar and comforting voice.
“Angel” is a slight departure from McAlpine’s classic indie pop sound, as it leans more folk. Track seven, “Soldier of the road,” for example, features the folk band Fleet Foxes, who’d I’d consider the epitome of folk. Tracks feature twangy and raw guitar and gentle piano.
McAlpine, in an interview with Nylon, cited Joni Mitchell as one of the primary inspirations for this record, which definitely comes through. I also heard similar sounds to that of Adrianne Lenker (especially in “Two elevens”) and Phoebe Bridgers.
In the 14 tracks, I think it’s best to split them into three categories: lovey-dovey, distance or breakup and personal songs.
The lovey-dovey tracks include “The light in the painting,” “I have a friend,” “The moon,” “Over country” and “Angel.” In these songs, McAlpine really focuses on connection and spending time with the person you love. “Over country” can also be seen as a love song for friends, or long distance relationships. She uses her soft voice to really enforce the theme of soft, domestic love. Pitchfork described “I have a friend” as “peak yearning,” and I would have to agree.
On the other hand, “Anybody’s fool,” “Ugly things” and “Peach.” All illustrate distance, or this idea about being alone. She speaks about being away from her partner as he travels farther and farther. This weaves nicely with the breakup tracks, like “A car wash and a new pair of pants,” “Two elevens” and “Our strange ways.” These continue the theme of distance, but it’s resolved in the breakup itself.
The love and breakup tracks create a contrast that tells the story of the album, at least to me: the importance of connection in a relationship, and the eventual fallout of that relationship when the connection is lost.
“Angel,” the 14th and final track, sees McAlpine “opening up again,” as the lyrics say, creating a circular, yet realistic ending to the album. It’s laced with moments of connection, with lyrics like “angel from another world holding me” and “hologram in neon light touch my face.” The listener can still hear that connection is important to her, and we are left wondering if it be different this time.
But the album isn’t defined by its love story. It is peppered with personal tracks, like “Soldier of the road,” “Mason’s song” and “The crowd.” Interestingly enough, I found these tracks to be the most emotional and relatable. “Soldier of the road” is a folky love letter to those pursuing the arts.
Then comes my personal favorite track, “Mason’s song.” Fair warning: if you have a best friend or sibling that you’ve grown up with, proceed with caution; “Mason’s song” will most likely move you to tears. Similarly, “The crowd,” like all other 13th tracks on McAlpine’s discography, is written in honor of her late father. This track is able to balance all the feelings of regret, forgetting and striving to make your loved one proud that grief manifests. “Mason’s song” being followed by “The crowd” had me in shambles, to say the least.
“Angel” is everything I thought it would be and more. The surprisingly folky sound, the punchy lyrics and the specificity of each track made this album one of my favorites.
