After a long and agonizing ticket war, I was one of the lucky individuals to secure tickets to Lizzy McAlpine’s upcoming Over Country Tour with one of my best friends. As someone who has been a fan of her for years, this moment feels truly surreal especially with how much I adored her most recent album release, ‘Angel’. Each song on this album resonated with me one way or another and I know it had the same effect on others too. As a long time fan, I know that Lizzy’s music has become a safe space for people to land, but especially for women and girls. This album is a love letter to all the important people in Lizzy’s life which makes it extremely easy to relate to, forcing us to think about the various relationships we hold close to our hearts in our lives as well.
The tracklist
My thoughts on each of the songs included on the album and how they resonated with me.
The light in the painting
The album opens with this tender, acoustic love song, which is abnormal for Lizzy as she’s often been wary and pessimistic about romantic love. This song sets up more of an optimistic setting for the album. This opener is very special to me because although she’s depicting being in love with a man, it can be interpreted in many ways and as a queer woman this song has become very important for me and expressing my love for women. The “light in the painting” for me is finally finding a woman to be infatuated with instead of a man. The whole song overall feels so gentle and like a big warm hug, I’ve listened to it too many times to count since its come out.
Favorite Lyric: “Start a fire when you touch mе, hold it close between our chests”
Anybody’s fool
This song is extremely unique. It details the experiences right after a breakup and the subconscious tendencies to look for things that used to connect you to your past partner such as driving down their street or seeing their type of car. She emphasizes that things are allowed to be hard and you’re allowed to feel angry or sad after a heartbreak. Within the story arc of the album, this song is about her beginning to recognize these feelings and not beat herself up about it. I personally feel connected to the sentiment of putting the pieces of your life together after something has changed you, whether that be a breakup or not and starting to appreciate the feeling of being alone and enjoying your own company.
Favorite Lyric: “I like the way it feels to not be anybody’s fool”
a car wash and a new pair of pants
By the title alone, this song intrigued me from the get-go. This song is the first slightly more upbeat song on the album in which it kind of feels like you’re floating. The song progresses and you realize it’s highlighting the more bitter feelings one might have after a breakup. She’s reflecting on how she was treated and how she deserves better in a new relationship. I’ve often done a reflection period like this but with friendship fallouts. Recently I’ve re-evaluated a lot of my friendships and have grown new perspective on the types of people I want to make up my village.
Favorite Lyric: “Always tried to keep fame as your mistress, I just loved you”
i have a friend
This is another song that ties into my connection sexuality for me. The lyric: “I have a friend, I have a lover, nobody knows just how deep” specifically resonates with this idea because sometimes when queer individuals enter a relationship they have to conceal it as friendship to others so they don’t get outed. The element of secrecy that can come with a queer relationship can be painful in some circumstances, but also beautiful too. The intimacy of being in a relationship just for you, not pandering to society’s expectations is extremely special.
Favorite Lyric: “There is no hand I could hold that would feel any better”
the moon
A common theme within this album’s story arc is how she felt as though she lost some of her autonomy in her last relationship. She compares herself to the moon in this song as something that’s fixed and never has true freedom. I relate to this song in kind of a roundabout way. I know a lot of my friends feel the same, but since adapting so well to college, whenever I’m home I sometimes don’t feel like I can truly be myself. I feel as though I’ve grown into a new and better person here and whenever I go home I start to reverse all the progress I’ve made, making me feel stuck and in a weird in-between state. Although that’s not technically what this song is about, Lizzy’s songwriting makes it easy to relate to multiple situations.
Favorite Lyric: “I want to feel like I’m the center and you revolve around me, but I am only as strong as one girl can be”
ugly things
Just as the title suggests, this song does not sugarcoat the ugly feelings and thoughts you can have about someone right after a tough breakup, it’s just a part in moving on. Something I’ve always admired about Lizzy is how she always emphasizes that its okay to feel not okay and how if your thoughts are unhinged or mean, that doesn’t mean they’re invalid or wrong which makes me feel comforted. Women can come to this song and have their feelings validated after getting their heart broken which I think is very special.
Favorite Lyric: “Seems like you want to burn this city down to hurt me”
soldier of the road
One of my favorite artists, Fleet Foxes, is featured on this song! Whenever I hear their name I immediately get transported back to my choir in high school. We sang one of their songs which led me to deep dive on their discography and fall in love with their sound. I was ecstatic seeing them on this track list and this song did not disappoint. The story of this song is about how we can be caught between the want to move forward while also searching for somewhere to belong. This is extremely relatable as a college student because the whole college experience is marketed as “finding your people” and finding where you supposedly belong, while also preparing you for your life post-graduation. Loneliness is something we can all relate to, even something Lizzy as an award winning singer-songwriter deals with which is highlighted in this song through her experiences with fame. But at the same time, I’m extremely excited for my life to start after getting my degree and all the new experiences I will have. College is a stepping stone to the rest of your life, in my opinion and how I look at life, the best days of your life haven’t happened yet.
Favorite Lyric: “Soldier of the road, you are just like me, looking for a little love, looking for a little relief”
peach
This song is so complicated because it highlights a ex partner’s success overshadowing your own quietness since the breakup, while at the same time reclaiming your independence and self worth simultaneously. While I don’t relate to this song personally in the same way she does, I relate to the feeling of reconnecting with yourself after losing yourself in something for a long time, whether a person or not. There have been multiple times in my life where I have felt like I lost myself, especially at college adapting to the new environment last year as a freshman. Since then, I have built myself back together into who I am, finally recognizing myself again. I’m a big believer that one of life’s greatest gifts is getting to know yourself, however long that takes.
Favorite Lyric: “There’s finally nowhere I can run, nobody to hide behind, I needed this, I needed time”
over country
My absolute favorite song on the album hands down. To me, this song is comparable to ‘Landslide’ by Fleetwood Mac in the way that it feels timeless and feels like home. The song highlights how important friendships are despite physical distance. As a college student who’s friends from high school go to different colleges, this song hits especially deep because it made me think of them. In my opinion, platonic relationships have infinitely more weight than romantic ones and this song emphasizes that idea. This song also gives hope that love will follow you no matter where you go. As someone who wants to travel the world and doesn’t plan on settling down for a long while, the concept of there being people that I will love and that will love me at every stage of my life is an amazing thing to think about.
Favorite Lyric: “Someone loves me, over country, over time and space. Over lovers, over other hands on other waists”
two elevens
One of my most known superstitions that I follow and believe in is how I try to make a wish at 11:11 every morning and every night. I believe in the power of manifesting and believing that things will come true, so this tradition only enhances that. This song specifically captures the feeling of reaching emotional balance and peace after going through a tough time. This is an extremely mature song and has the important message of how time can change people and how some people just aren’t meant to be together forever. The concept of embracing change has been something I’ve been wrestling with for a while, but this song truly helped me ground myself in it and look back on my past fondly while looking forward to my future at the same time.
Favorite Lyric: “I don’t blame you, I don’t blame me, I am older”
our strange ways
This is a lengthy, but beautiful, emotional song that captures the complicated feelings of loving someone while recognizing the ways a relationship can change. You can harp on the past while being in a healthy relationship. I often have the tendency to overthink negative things that have already happened, while not living in the moment and appreciating where I am now, so this song means a lot to me. It’s nice knowing that this is a common feeling people can have whether in a relationship or not.
Favorite Lyric: “A world without you is not one I need to see”
mason’s song
Written about her best friend and her longtime collaborator, Mason Stoops, the first time I listened to this song it instantly reminded me of my own best friend (you know who you are). The song mentions how much they’ve grown together and how they’re able to look back on the past versions of themselves fondly, while also appreciating where they’ve ended up, still as close as ever as better people in the end. During the last chorus of the song you can actually hear Mason join in which I think is adorable and ties the song together in such a sweet and wholesome way.
Favorite Lyric: “I still have things to work on that will never еnd, but I can’t do it alone”
the crowd
It’s known that on every one of Lizzy McAlpine’s albums she has a song specifically dedicated to her passed on father, and this album is not the exception. This song is extremely personal and heartfelt. Even though this song is specific to Lizzy, she also made it have a universal relatability in which anyone can connect the song to someone that has passed in their life. For me, this song immediately reminded me of my cat who passed away last year. Every accomplishment I achieve, every moment I’m alive I think of her and how I’m continuing on because of her spirit. She would be so proud of the person I’ve become and it’s her that’s guided me toward that.
Favorite Lyric: “Everything I do I do so I can make you proud. I make it big so you can hear the crowd”
angel
To wrap up the album in a cohesive way, Lizzy decided to end on a love song just as she’d started the album which I think is beautiful because it gives us hope. This title track is definitely one of my favorites on the album. It highlights her personal growth and how she’s garnered the strength to enter into a new and healthier relationship. At the end of the song she switches from referring to her new partner as the angel to now viewing herself as one which is my favorite part of the whole album. This is probably the most hopeful album ending she’s ever written, signifying how mature she’s become and how much she’s grown to get her to this point in her life. It gives me, and everyone else listening hope that there’s a light at the end of the tunnel and hope for a better future, whether you’re currently living in that future or amidst your healing journey.
Favorite Lyric: “Angel in a brilliant light watching me, smile at her through the glass, home and free. I have always been here waiting just to be”
Overall, this album truly blew my expectations out of the water and made me ten times more excited for the upcoming tour. I’m so grateful that I’m able to experience this piece of work in the spring and see her genius performed live right in front of me. So light your favorite candles, get under a weighted blanket, and put on this album the next night you have to yourself!