On Sept. 18th, Lizzy McAlpine released her fourth album, Angel, a collection of songs that appears to illustrate a love story. However, rather than chronologically retelling one particular relationship, the album explores various forms of attachment, including romantic relationships, her career, and relationships with loved ones who have passed away.
McAlpine’s poetic lyricism has been a staple of her first three albums, inspiring a variety of trends over the years, and this album is no different. Her ability to tell stories has produced songs that deeply resonate with listeners as she conveys emotions that are universally recognizable.  Â
The album features three more traditional love songs: “The light in the painting,” “I have a friend,” and “Over country.” While each centers around romantic love, they convey the subtle undertone of attachment. “The light in the painting,” which serves as the opener for the album, describes having a relationship with someone that you deem as perfect or “the light in the painting,” as she narrates: someone who makes everything better. However, the song also reflects an inability to see past their perceived perfection.
This is best exemplified when she writes, “Feel the lightning on my skin / Time moves slower in a time like this / I stand there blinded by it.” The imagery of being blinded suggests that she is unable to look at her relationship objectively. The other two romantic love songs tell stories that are significantly different from each other, however they still convey the underlying tone of attachment.Â
The songs “Soldier of the road,” “Peach,” and “A car wash and a new pair of pants” represent the attachment to one’s career and how that impacts relationships with others. While all three songs communicate the side effects of being successful, they tell three different stories.
“Soldier of the road” expresses the challenges of working in the music industry, especially in today’s chart-chasing climate. She describes the industry as a “Big wheel turning” that she is trapped in. What was once a labor of love has become something inescapable. Her poetic lyricism captures the feeling of being a slave to the numbers and major labels that profit from her work, even letting it “take its toll” under the reassurance that it’s “showbiz.” This song undoubtedly illustrates her attachment in relation to her career as she expresses feeling like she is unable to leave it, even if it doesn’t give her the fulfillment she once had.
In contrast, “Peach” tells the story of someone who finds work-life balance because of her new relationship, claiming that they show her how to be better. However, this also suggests that she may be dependent on them to balance out her life.
The final song, “A car wash and a new pair of pants” narrates a story of someone who used her for her fame. It depicts an often unspoken truth from celebrities. While the media may assume that notability might be an incentive for a relationship, it is rarely confirmed. McAlpine provides listeners with a glimpse into the realities of that experience and the attachment that comes with it. Â
One of the album’s final songs, “The crowd,” explores McAlpine’s relationship with someone who has passed away, capturing the feeling of living your life in an effort to make that person proud. While that inspiration has driven her to success, it’s clouded by a deep sadness. The most prominent example of this appears when she writes, “Everything I do I make it big so you can hear the crowd / I wish I told you more that I loved you.” This powerful lyric directly illustrates the sadness behind her rise to fame. Additionally, it underscores her prolonged attachment to this person. Paradoxically, this person who is driving her forward to her fame is holding her back in her memories.Â
As a whole, I found Angel to be an incredibly moving album. What makes it particularly compelling is how each song feels like its own story, while the emotions within those stories remain universally recognizable. Although she draws from specific relationships, experiences, and forms of loss, the attachment, longing, grief, and love she explores is universal, and can extend far beyond the people and circumstances she writes about.
Ultimately, Angel feels less like a collection of stories about McAlpine’s life and more like a collection of stories about all of our lives. I think that anyone who listens to her writing is able to find at least one aspect to relate to. Relatability is especially important in today’s society of billionaires and influencers who often don’t come across as normal humans. The emotions involved in love and attachment are very real and innate in all of us. Today’s media often feels very disconnected from reality, but I think that artists like McAlpine are reviving the old ways of art, built on connection. I’ve followed McAlpine’s career throughout the years, and I think she deserves all the admiration she is bound to get. I am excited to see what she does next! Â