Of the many emerging stars defining the mainstream appeal of indie folk, few are as recognizable as Lizzy McAlpine. Her style, evident in her 2022 hit “ceilings,” cleverly interweaves folk ballad instrumentation with pop song structures. The combination makes the sad sound catchy.
McAlpine returns to her songwriting tradition on “Angel,” released on Friday, Sept. 18. The hour-long record predominantly moves through different perspectives of love — often the unrequited or post-breakup kind, but there’s some mid-relationship connection on display as well.
The opener and lead single, “The light in the painting,” begins softly, taking nearly two minutes for the instrumental palette to expand beyond a backing organ. The acoustic guitar and piano melody build a soft world around a romantic partner McAlpine sings of. A second sonic explosion with drums ensues after McAlpine’s realization that “If somewhere there is a heaven / This is as close as I will get,” which gives way to a lush and warm ending.
In the ensuing “Anybody’s fool,” there’s a wandering ambiance created by the drifting piano notes alongside a faint drum thumping in the background. The slow pace and McAlpine’s singing echoes the tone of the slower ballads off Phoebe Bridger’s album “Punisher.”
But unlike Bridgers’ work, McAlpine navigates similar themes with some lyrical clunkiness. Each chorus opens with the predictable “I know this is right and I know that it’s sad / Want you to want me again like that.” But McAlpine scrapes at some complexity once the centerpiece, “I like the way it feels to not be anybody’s fool,” comes into play.
McAlpine hits a pleasant stride, and possibly the most mesmerizing on the album, on “A car wash and a new pair of pants.” McAlpine refuses to commit to any specific singing, choosing to instead wander in and out of natural speech and vocal melodies. It adds a unique sense of whimsy to a track that already has drums and acoustic guitars jumping in and out of the main melody.
A few tracks later, “The moon” comes in with a similar airy energy. McAlpine muses about connecting with someone in a sustainable way, but the speaker, a “maiden fair” compared to the “handsome prince,” finds herself bound to her lover and “no freer than the moon.” The breakdown into panned “oohs” in the middle and outro helps elevate the playful feel.
Of all the love songs, “Our strange ways” has the most overt narrative. With a length of seven-and-a-half minutes, it’s the longest track in McAlpine’s catalog. The first verse focuses on the speaker’s disorientation after a breakup, while the second verse focuses on the imagined life lived by her partner afterward. A refrain of “A world without you” washes over the listener before a brief outro vignette that sounds like a piano-led demo.
Some of the most memorable moments come when McAlpine shifts the subject matter. “Soldier of the road” dwells on the unspoken connections between a traveling musician and a soldier. The track features the indie folk band Fleet Foxes, where frontman Robin Pecknold’s voice merges comfortably with McAlpine’s. It’s a fitting appearance considering how the twangy guitars and pastoral atmosphere echo the sound of Fleet Foxes’ self-titled debut record.
The twelfth track, “Mason’s song,” focuses on long-term platonic connection, with a handful of collaborators (including producer and performer Mason Stoops) joining for the outro call of: “I can’t do it alone.” It’s followed by the heartwarming “The crowd,” a piano ballad that pays homage to McAlpine’s late father.
On “Angel,” McAlpine’s sound is as refreshing as ever, but the insistence on love tracks can get a bit old. Still, the overwhelmingly gentle feel and moments of belted catharsis on tracks like “Peach” and “Ugly things” prevents any overbearing monotony.
Rating: 3.25/5