Author: Mars Nelson
Lizzy McAlpine’s name has been synonymous with dramatic, complex emotions conveyed through breathtaking cinematic peaks for the past few years of her career. When reflecting on tracks like “Ceilings”, “Reckless Driving”, and “Erase Me”, one can’t help but admire the 24-year-old’s knack for capturing the essence of the teenage girl’s experience. Thus, when she revealed on The Zach Sang Show that her third studio album, Older, would be drastically different from Five Seconds Flat, it was hard not to feel a little disappointed. However, when I heard Older for the first time, I immediately scolded myself for ever doubting McAlpine’s ability to hold me close and assure me that I was seen.
Older favors piano, guitars, acoustic drum kits, wind instruments, and the occasional slide guitar to tell the narrative of an unstable love as it’s falling apart. The album opens on “The Elevator”, easing listeners into the hope-filled anxiety felt at the beginning of a relationship. There is a repetitive plunk of a piano key that echoes as major chords slowly build around it. It feels symbolic; as if the key is also stuck in the loop of overthinking as the world continues to move around you. The opening lines, “It wasn’t slow, it happened fast”, are accompanied by a piano and nothing else but as the sentence concludes, a choral of stacked vocals hum in affirmation of the memories McAlpine is recalling. The song, while short, continues to build until all at once, it explodes and a slide guitar and bass drum seamlessly march into “Come Down Soon”.
All of the intricate instrumentation that was built up throughout “The Elevator” immediately recedes, leaving McAlpine and her guitar in solitary. As the chorus unfolds, a snare drum and piano melody emerge, propelling the song forward while the poignant yet simple melody guides listeners through the experience of finding something so good it can not be true. My favorite moment on this track (and admittedly, maybe on the whole album) is in the second verse. The verse starts the way the song does, stripped of multiple instruments, until McAlpine’s revelation that a window has been opened, allowing the music from a party to spill onto the lawn that she is standing on. A slide guitar echoes as the word “spills” slips from her lips, catalyzing a crescendo where snares, piano, and guitar unite in a surge of sound, evoking the shared memories between her and her partner.
While “Older” delves into weighty themes that tug at the heartstrings, McAlpine still finds time to have some fun. “All Falls Down”, truthfully, has lyrics that sit heavy on my chest but its lighthearted arrangement featuring lively clarinets, flutes, saxophone, and snare demands attention, making it difficult to dwell solely on the song’s emotional depth. The track reflects shades of the storytelling abilities reminiscent of Canadian singer-songwriter Andy Shauf. Beneath the surface of its major chords lies a captivating melancholy, while the bridge and outro showcase McAlpine’s chilling vocals, reminiscent of the captivating style that first captured me on Five Seconds Flat.
Throughout the entirety of the album, a consistent pattern emerges: songs tend to start with a simple melody and instrumentation before gradually escalating into a crescendo of artistic emotion. Normally, adhering to a singular style leaves me disinterested, yet McAlpine has made every build and frenzy wildly different from the last. While they all perfectly fit together as a part of one cohesive story, they also all stand on their own as captured moments in time. For instance, the progression in “I Guess” evokes a sense of liberation following an epiphany, while “Drunk, Running” mirrors the meltdowns had in the arms of friends. It also helps that not every single song is forced to build upon itself. “You Forced Me” is a case in point. This angst-filled waltz depicts the reassigning of blame and while it does not end in an explosion of sound, it has some of the most interesting melodies on this project.
As I ended Older, tears welled in my eyes and my chest felt heavy with emotion. I felt as though I had witnessed the growth of a stranger in some odd way. I found myself deeply impressed by McAlpine’s storytelling prowess. McAlpine has masterfully channeled the grand, cinematic emotions I hold dear and juxtaposed them with acoustic, building instrumentals that I have grown to treasure.
Mars Nelson | KXSU Music & Arts Reporter