Nessa Barrett bears her mosaic of a soul in her debut album, recounting her experiences with depression, suicidal thoughts, and borderline personality disorder. The 20-year-old singer has been very open about her struggles with mental illness and her subsequent turn to Christianity. Barrett’s lyrics are raw, and every song provides a unique look at topics that other musicians often shy away from. Her soft tone carries a sadness and vulnerability through the shifting styles of the album, providing a stability to the emotional rollercoaster of emotions that humans go through.
She opens with an absolute banger in “tired of california,” where she laments the gilded nature of the entertainment industry. The song’s slick chorus is the most pleasant earworm you’ll ever experience, and the children’s choir during the bridge gives it a bone-chilling quality reminiscent of Pink Floyd’s “Another Brick in the Wall.” It’s quickly followed by the equally strong “gaslight,” which calls out a toxic lover for their manipulative personality.
Other highlights include painfully heartfelt “dear god,” where a desperate Barrett cries out to God to pull her out of rock bottom; slick “madhouse,” which feels like the perfect theme song for a modern Harley Quinn; and stripped-down “lovebomb,” which serves as a self-reflective confession.
The album closes just as strongly as it opens, but in a much softer tone. The penultimate song, “die first,” is a heart-wrenching tribute to Barrett’s best friend, Cooper Noriega, who died from an accidental drug overdose in June 2022 at the age of 19. She discusses her fear of losing her loved ones and being left alone in a bittersweet tone before diving into the mournful “lucky star.” Short but stunning, the final track reverberates in your ears before fading into oblivion.
The album contains large amounts of grief but also sports tiny glimmers of hope, promising much more of this young star in the future.