On February 26th 2021, Madison Beer released her debut album, Life Support. This album has been long anticipated, not just by her fans, but by critics. If you are not familiar with Madison Beer, she is a 22 year old singer/ songwriter as well as celebrity. She is mostly known for being a social media star/ influencer as well as a former pop star who was dropped by her first record label. Ms. Beer is known for her catchy, sultry, self confidence anthem that inspires her listeners and makes them feel empowered. She has a few mainstream hits, if you consider TikTok viral songs mainstream. Her best known song is Selfish, a powerful ballad, confronts an ex lover by calling them out to be toxic and emotionally unavailable, while simultaneously coming to the conclusion that this person is not for her, and she must let them go.
But why is this album worth listening to? Ms. Beer is a beautiful young woman with extreme talent lyrically and vocally, but that is not all. This album tells the story of a young girl who is battling the obstacles life is throwing at her, such as failed and toxic relationships, mental health struggles and feeling like she doesn’t belong on this earth. The album is packed with gut-punching honesty, vulnerability and flavor. Most notably, Beer describes her struggles with being diagnosed with BPD, otherwise known as Borderline Personality Disorder. This disorder, which strongly affects moods, interpersonal relationships, as well as self image and the image of others. This recent diagnosis is a large theme in this album. Beer mentions in her songs, “Effortlessly” how she has to cause herself pain to feel again, after dealing with depression anxiety and suicidal thoughts. In the song, she reminisces on a time where tasks such as getting out of bed used to feel so easy and now they are not. This vulnerability is so brave, especially releasing this album to so many followers. Songs like “Emotional Bruises”, “Everything Happens For A Reason”, further discuss her relationship troubles where she doesn’t understand how someone who claims to love her can hurt her so badly and so many times. These themes are not only relatable but are so raw and honest.
The topic of tackling her mental health is the main theme of the album. Beer spoke in interviews that making this album saved her life, and that it was her lifeline in the dark times. In her song “Sour Times”, Beer explains that since she is going through a rough period in life, she is not going to solve it by sleeping with a guy who is trying to take advantage of her vulnerable state. This message is so powerful and admirable and shows immense maturity and authenticity. Other than her songs having such powerful messages lyrically, the production value is ethereal. Beer’s vocals are coated with copious effects in each track, using vocoder and reverb in most tracks to give a “otherworldly” feeling. In the track “Homesick” Beer actually alludes sometimes she feels she belongs to another planet. The beats are insane and this album holds a magnitude of catchy bops to jam out to in the car with friends, as well as sultry self confidence boosting songs such as “Boyshit” and “Baby”. The album is a perfect encompass of vulnerability, freeness and expression. Beer did not hold back. If it is not for the reason of the honesty and uniqueness of the album, the catchyness and freshness of these songs give this album a 9/10 in my book. I recommend listening to this album to anyone who feels alone and going through hard times, as well as individuals who want to feel sexy and dance around their rooms feeling badass. Beer makes it clear that she won’t accept abuse from anyone anymore, from lovers and even her own mind playing tricks on her. “Life Support” is a fresh of breath air in a music industry full of people trying to put out meaningless hits as a cash grab. Thank god for Beer!
Top 3 Songs on the album:
-
Effortlessly
-
Seflish
-
Stay Numb and Carry On