On September 18, 2026, Lizzy McAlpine released her fourth studio album, Angel, featuring 14 songs, including the singles “The Light in the Painting” and “Ugly Things”. The album marks a distinct shift toward a more classic ‘70s Laurel Canyon folk-and-acoustic style, possibly inspired by icons like Joni Mitchell and Nick Drake. The album features collaborations and a guest appearance by Fleet Foxes on the track “Soldier of the Road”. The 13th track, “The Crowd”, is also beautifully written and connects deeply to Lizzy’s father. Like many of Lizzy’s previous albums, we explore themes of love, grief, heartbreak, and personal self-discovery. The album cover features an abstract oil-and-chalk painting by artist tidy.totes rather than McAlpine’s own likeness, mirroring her desire to let the raw poetry of the music stand entirely on its own.
I completely fell in love with this album. Lizzy McAlpine’s writing always gut-punches me, and it hits perfectly every single time. The transition and shift in tone from “The Light in the Painting” to “Anybody’s Fool” is absolutely insane. From there, the record dives into a heavy post-breakup arc, using tracks like “Two Elevens”, “Our Strange Ways”, and “A Car Wash and a New Pair of Pants” as a way to trace the devastating logistics and isolation of a fallout. The Laurel Canyon influence runs so deep during this album that “A Car Wash and a New Pair of Pants” even features a songwriting credit from Nick Drake himself. I found that this album really deepened Lizzy’s signature emotional vulnerability with organic production and starkly honest songwriting.
What makes Angel so brilliant is how its tracks leave room for profound reinterpretation, both by collaborators and fans. “Soldier of the Road” features a gorgeous, haunting guest appearance by Robin Pecknold of Fleet Foxes, adding a rich layer of traditional folk harmony to the record. Meanwhile, tracks like “Peach” lean into minimalist imagery, turning the mundane act of slicing a fruit into a brilliant metaphor for the quiet loneliness of heartbreak. Even the more romantic tracks have taken on a life of their own; “Over Country” has been beautifully adopted by long-distance friendships, reframing its romantic longing into a meaningful anthem for platonic love, which I absolutely adore as someone whose best friends live so far.
At the absolute center of the album’s themes of love, grief, and self-discovery is the 13th track, “The Crowd”. A beautifully written piece that connects deeply to Lizzy’s late father, the song honors his memory by continuing her tradition of dedicating every 13th track to him. By the time the album resolves into its title track, “Angel”, a song about the terrifying beauty of opening up to the world again, it becomes clear that Lizzy McAlpine has done it again. She’s deepened her signature emotional vulnerability with unvarnished production and starkly honest songwriting, creating a soul-crushing masterpiece that hits perfectly every single time.