After listening to and loving “Pancakes for Dinner” by Lizzy McAlpine, I’ve been on the lookout for more music from her.
With her popularity growing since her debut album in 2020, Lizzy McAlpine has been steadily releasing new music, including her most recent and third album, Older, which more than lived up to my expectations.
Starting off with one of my favorite tracks, “Come Down Soon” has pretty vocals that paint a vivid story. I love how the song is very minimalistic during the verses; it adds so much more emotion and focus to the chorus, which isn’t catchy in the typical pop-music, danceable way but instead is calm and memorable in a way that I want to have on repeat for days.
“All Falls Down” is a more fast-paced song. It has a catchy rhythm, and I love the piano addition to the bridge. Another thing I love is the realist nature of the lyrics. It’s not entirely pessimistic, but it recognizes that “it all falls, sometimes.”
“I Guess” is more upbeat with rushing instrumentals that culminate in a grand ending. The lyrics tell a sweet story about love that involves a deeper human connection: “I’ll tell a lie, but it’s understood.” This song is overall very pretty, and I really like it.
“Drunk, Running” has a more varying range of notes that gives the sound a bit of a jazzy style. It’s soft and fun, and I love the way the song sounds in its own unique way. My favorite lyric from this song was: “Make a person out of memories / They won’t live up to it.” It’s a pretty way of saying something that many people face. Overall, this was one of my favorite songs on the album.
“Broken Glass” has haunting vocals that stand out with the minimal backing track. I love the metaphor carried throughout the song that creates a fitting tone to the storyline. The way the music builds up with a change of tone at the pre-chorus is done so well and so beautifully. The addition of more rock-style drums and guitar buzz as the song approaches the end smoothly adds a new feeling to the song, fitting the mixing of emotions the lyrics portray.
“You Forced Me To” is beautiful in its dark tone, coupled with its saddening lyrics. The song highlights the shifting emotion of the album to a more conflicted and melancholic tone. McAlpine further adds to the emotion of the song with a simple repeated piano riff with a tone that screams overwhelming downward spiral. Then, the ending cuts off after one clear note, which leaves me thinking about the song long after it’s over.
The title track highlights the singer’s feelings about how things didn’t quite work out as she had thought. And now, she’s reflecting back as she’s “Older.” The lyrics neatly pull together the different parts of the album with a new message that illustrates the perspective of the album, and I think it was interesting to listen to her several songs before really knowing the perspective, and then still having a few tracks left to listen with the new perspective. The track shows how the album is very cohesive and well done.
The final song, “Vortex,” shows the ending of the complete story, as the last line is “Someday you’ll come back, and I’ll say no,” showing the change throughout the album. The ending of the song grows loud before it finishes, truly encapsulating the grand finale that these tracks deserve.
All in all, Lizzy McAlpine’s album Older was incredible and, for me, even topped “Pancakes for Dinner.” Now, I’m excited to see what else she has in store.
