Album Review: Older | Lizzy McAlpine
Wisdom and Vulnerability Intertwined: Lizzy McAlpine's 'Older' Unveiled
Colossal Announcement: This past weekend, Carson and I's family grew with Carson and his wife, Jill, tying the knot! Congratulations to the couple! The two are off on a lovely honeymoon, trekking around the UK, so we've decided to bring in a Lizzy McAlpine expert to help out this week - Phillip! Huge thanks to Phillip for stepping in to share his expertise on the subject!
Lizzy McAlpine's "Older" is the latest from an artist who continues to gain traction and bring folky Broadway-inspired music to the mainstream. The project shows a growing maturity in personal character and musical craft. "Older" deals with some of the same themes as her debut and sophomore albums — heartache, love, and loss- but adds several unique tracks about fame and the emotional complexity of getting older.
McAlpine's 3rd studio album comes at an exciting time for the artist, given the increase of folk-pop popularity in the industry, from the emergence of Noah Kahan to Gracie Abrams to Taylor Swift's 2(?TTPD?) album stunt in the genre, the market is saturated. This time around, it is essential for Lizzy McAlpine to identify where she belongs in this genre. Luckily, Lizzy can draw on her talents in songwriting, both lyrically and structurally.
Immediate highlights for this project are "Like it Tends to Do" and "All Falls Down," which give voice to the disbelief that life can change for the better, and the title track, "Older," takes on the same theme with a reflective conclusion that life can and does change. Still, we never know exactly how things will turn out. "Drunk, Running" is an honest cry for support and accountability in relationships and notoriety — the support that too many touring artists struggle to find.
The album is a collection of journal entries about the last four years. It's a window into what Lizzy thinks about life right now. Musically, it's fun and whimsical and artistically true to her style. It draws on influences from Broadway and other artists, but at the same time, it is different from what you've heard before. It's a creatively captivating work of art worth a listen or two or four.
Interestingly, McAlpine enlists some new faces to help her write and produce Older. According to album credits, Lizzy didn't work with any writers/producers involved in her previous works. This isn't surprising considering her touring lifestyle and the strong songwriting ability she possesses. The most frequent songwriter/producer on this record is Mason Stoops. Stoops, a new name for us, is a touring bass player for Lizzy & has some credits with Del Water Gap & with Luke Hemmings of 5 Seconds of Summer (album review soon, hopefully).
Older is a good album in its own right, but it becomes even more decadent when listened to in the context of her career and previous projects. Her debut album, "Give me a Minute," was released in August 2020, just months after her dad passed away in March. Amid that pain, she quickly gained traction in music for her raw and powerful vocals about relatable topics like breakup, love, and grief.
Shortly before releasing a live EP, "When The World Stopped Moving," her notoriety spiked when she went viral on TikTok with a 30-second clip of a still unreleased track titled "You Ruined The 1975". Despite massive demand for the whole song, she left it unreleased to stay true to herself as an artist. (Tweet) That commitment to artistry has served Lizzy well, and it wasn't long until a new track caught the attention of the internet with a sped-up version of "Ceilings" going viral in 2022. However, releasing new music and going on her first headline tour proved challenging for the young artist. She touches on that in a new song, "All Falls Down," with the line, "22 was a panic attack." This journey of emotional ups and downs in career, life, and love has shaped and formed Lizzy, and the music she writes reflects that.
Now older and wiser, Lizzy is preparing for her second headline tour across North America and Europe, which kicks off this weekend on April 21st in San Diego. This time, she has strategically scheduled longer breaks between tour dates, performing for a week or two and resting for a week or two. She hopes this will be a healthier way for her to share her music with fans worldwide.
Check out our favorite tracks, listen to the album, and see our scores below:
Can’t Miss: All Falls Down, Drunk Running, Older
You Can Skip: The Elevator, Like It Tends to Do, I guess, Better than this
BY THE NUMBERS
Bennett’s Score: 7.00
Phillip’s Score: 7.86
Album Score: 14.86
Notes from Bennett:
I’m super impressed by her still. I really enjoyed Five Seconds Flat and will never forget where I was on the first listen. (6am Noland trail run went WILD).
This project tugs on my heart a little bit; I really am interested in her future as an artist, and I also just think this album would translate really well to a live show.
Notes from Phillip:
I feel very much like I’ve grown up with Lizzy the past four years. This album hit me like a freight train; I cried on the title track. It will be a go to for an introspective rainy day, and All Falls Down will be on REPEAT!! I can’t wait to see her live this summer!
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