If you’ve been on TikTok at all in the past few weeks, you’ve probably heard snippets of the song “Stop the Wedding” by singer Ashe. “Stop the Wedding” was the first single off of Ashe’s new album The Girl of Your Dreams, which was released on October 16. After hearing “Stop the Wedding,” I knew I had to listen to the rest of the album and I’m glad to say that it lives up to the hype that “Stop the Wedding” built up. The album moves from bright and upbeat to more somber and contemplative. It deals with everything from new love to friendships to the end of relationships.
- “Stop the Wedding”
-
Probably my favorite song off the album for sure, tied with “Lasso the Moon” and “Sweet Caroline.” It’s such an uplifting song about choosing what’s best for you in a situation, and realizing that it’s never too late to do what’s best for you. This was the perfect song to make a single off the album, and I loved the retro, Old Hollywood glamour of the music video.
- “Lasso the Moon”
-
This song wasn’t a single but I could see it being made into one. Based off of the conversation about lassoing the moon for someone you love in the movie It’s a Wonderful Life, “Lasso the Moon” is bubbly, bright, and full of love. The music video for this song was incredibly sweet as well, with Ashe featuring her husband prominently in the music video and dancing with him throughout the end.
- “Stardust”
-
“Stardust” is the first bittersweet song on this album. It is reminiscent about all the sweet memories that you make with someone. Ashe compares those memories and the past to stardust, which I think is so, so sweet. It’s definitely a set up to some of the sadder songs in this album for sure, though.
- “Love Bomb”
-
This song is snarky and charming at the same time, and I love it. “Love Bomb” taunts that ex that acts like they’re better than you while also love bombing you in the process. While not my favorite on the album, the song fits really well with the more upbeat nature of the first half of the album, bright and having fun with the theme of love.
- “Blue Hour”
-
“Blue Hour” is the first hint of the more somber part of the album, and it hits hard after four very upbeat, fun songs. “Blue Hour” unpacks that uncomfortable space between the end of one relationship and the start of the next one, and how everything feels “blue” in that period. While tragic, it’s still uplifting, talking about how you can still grow in this sad period.
- “Swan Lake”
-
This song was nothing like I thought it would be, and I honestly loved it. “Swan Lake” was upbeat and manic, and embodied the spirit of its namesake ballet as well as the theme of love that runs throughout the album. “Swan Lake” talks about obsession, and how all-consuming a crush/love can be, sometimes to a person’s detriment.
- “Sunburn”
-
“Sunburn” to me is “Stardust”’s cousin. If “Stardust” was reminiscing on all the beautiful things about being a couple, “Sunburn” is about how you might only remember the good things when your partner can only remember the bad. It’s such a heartbreaking ballad about the duality of a relationship, and how that can be the thing that breaks it apart, but I love it anyway.
- “Always September”
-
“Always September” is heartbreaking and brutal, about still being in love with someone long after you’ve broken up with them. The song talks about how you could be moving on and happy but the minute you see your ex, you’re back to the last moment that you were with them. Ashe sings about all the things that get tainted when you break up with someone and all the things you miss even if the person wasn’t good for you.
- “The Girl of Your Dreams”
-
This song was so bittersweet and beautiful. “The Girl of Your Dreams” feels like reading a diary entry from Ashe, dealing with the imposter syndrome that can creep up when in a relationship. Ashe sings about wanting to be the girl of someone’s dreams, and wonders about when the person she’s with will wake up and realize that she’s not their dream girl. Absolutely heartbreaking and relatable, and I felt this song in my soul.
- “Sweet Caroline”
-
I SOBBED throughout “Sweet Caroline” in my car in case anyone was wondering. In an album about love and loss, a song about friendship betrayal fit in perfectly. Ashe sings so beautifully about wanting to know why she was stabbed in the back by someone she used to call a friend, and why a man was the thing that ripped them apart. An absolutely beautiful and heartbreaking song, displaying the range of emotion and talent that Ashe has.
- “Funeral”
-
The second single that Ashe released off of the album, I think that “Funeral” brings the album perfectly full circle. “Funeral” is a sweet sentiment to your partner, about how they’re the first person you’d want to see in the morning, and the last person you’d want to speak at your funeral. It’s so sad but so beautiful and captures the album and its themes of love and loss so beautifully.
All in all, The Girl of Your Dreams is such a beautiful album about the different types of love and the loss that comes with loving something so fiercely. My favorites on the album are “Stop the Wedding,” “Lasso the Moon,” and “Sweet Caroline,” but this is genuinely a no-skip album. I highly recommend the album and Ashe in general.