Earlier in the pandemic, Sufjan Stevens, an indie artist from Michigan, released a collaboration with his stepfather Aporia that addressed the madness of the time. A few months later, on September 25th, Stevens released his latest album The Ascension, which focused more on another chaotic aspect of 2020: politics.
His song, America, declares “don’t do to me what you did to America”, a more pessimistic point of view about the country from an artist who previously wanted to write an album for every state. The end of this romanticized Americana in his music comes in the midst of an election that everyone, regardless of their political views, acknowledges to be unlike anything they’ve seen before. Sufjan himself admitted to having lost faith in the American dream, writing the song in protest of the current American culture. He even moved out of his beloved New York City, which he sings about in Goodbye To All That, trading it for the mountains.
Another song, Video Game, explores this aspect from the lens of pop culture and social media. Stevens declares he doesn’t want to be doing what everyone else is doing and doesn’t need the likes or validation that comes with it. The album serves as proof of this. Following his massive hit Mystery of Love, from the Call Me By Your Name soundtrack that won him both Oscar and Grammy nominations, one would assume that he would stick to the acoustic folk sound that made him famous.
However, The Ascension relies on a more techno sound. At first, I was hesitant if I would like it as much as I did his previous albums. Thankfully, the one thing that did not change is his strength in lyrics. Sufjan’s music is for what the internet has termed “sad boy hours” and this album is no exception. Sufjan touches upon his faith, troubles with prescription pills, and declares over and over again “I want to die happy” in the song conveniently titled, Die Happy. It is clear, from his switch in scenery and sound, that Sufjan is changing. However, luckily for his fans, it appears to be he is ascending into something better.