Lizzy McAlpine released her third studio album ‘Older’ in April, and just two weeks ago fans were treated to its deluxe version ‘Older (and Wiser)’ – its title perfectly encapsulating the story of the album and the growth that can be traced from its beginning to its last tracks. Admittedly, I had not listened to it in full until a few weeks ago; I had seen little noise about it online, and whilst like most people I knew of Lizzy from her hit song ‘Ceilings’, which took social media by storm and has currently amassed a total of 619 million streams, my awareness (and like!) of her as an artist did not extend to listening to this project upon its initial release. However, after coming back to uni and feeling like I was in a bit of a musical rut – needing to listen to something new – I stumbled across the album, which I had saved months ago but had never quite found the time to listen to. To put it plainly and simply, I fell in love with this album and could not stop listening. It has been my daily soundtrack for weeks – and this is why you need to listen. 

Lizzy wanted to restart – to find a sound which felt true to her. Talking in an interview with ‘The Creative Independent’, she stated ‘I want people to understand the way I have changed my approach to music and my career and touring. I just want to be understood’. Following the success of ‘Ceilings’ and its album ‘five seconds flat’, her second studio album from 2022, Lizzy took a break from touring and releasing music. But she didn’t stop writing; the final version of ‘Older (and Wiser)’ was crafted and revised over a three-year period, going through a variety of different producers. However, something just wasn’t quite right. After watching Ryan Beatty perform on his tour of ‘Calico’, a breathtaking album full of isolated instrumentals which soar with rich, pointed lyricism, she was ‘mesmerised’ by his band. The six-man band, assembled by Mason Stoops, reworked the album with her in a space of two weeks (this process was documented on her YouTube channel and makes for a great watch). The appeal of the band lay in how ‘human’ the music felt to her, and this undoubtedly surfaces in the listening experience of ‘Older (and Wiser)’. It is delicately raw and personal; its intimate sound and vulnerable lyrics paint a vivid story of vulnerability and growth. As Lizzy said in her interview with ‘The Creative Independent’, the heart behind the album, its driving force, was for it ‘to feel emotional […] I just wanted it to feel’. The result? An album which ‘feels the most like me I’ve ever felt’. The deluxe album’s cover, in light of this, not only stands as a representation of the creative process but also how the album ‘feels’. She stands alone in the recording booth. Hands clasped – head down in contemplation. It’s deliberate. It’s honest. It ‘feels’ real – ‘human’.

There are few skips on this album, and deserves to be listened to as one piece. Each song is part of the overarching story Lizzy depicts of a relationship and its break down, interspersed with musings about time and personal growth. It is a journey from start to finish. We start the album with two tracks which seamlessly transition from one to the other – ‘The Elevator’ and ‘Come Down Soon’. The opening track, ‘The Elevator’, has beautiful, swooping instrumentals and utilises few lyrics – but these lyrics already root us in the story she is going to construct. The last lines of the song, ‘I think we can make it/ I hope that I’m right’, establishes this sense of vulnerability in the relationship which is only perpetuated by ‘Come Down Soon’ and its melancholy successor ‘Like It Tends To Do’. However, the album is not monotone or one note. ‘All Falls Down’ has an uplifting sound (despite the fact it covers vulnerable lyrics) and throughout the album are moments that surprise – instrumentation changes, cutting lyrics, and cathartic points reminiscent of ‘Ceilings’.

So, which ones should you listen to?

Of course, there are always songs which stay with you less than others. For me, towards the end of ‘Older’ songs such as ‘March’ and ‘You Forced Me To’ needed a few listens to grasp, and are not ones I return to in their own right. Equally, however, if you’re looking for recommendations to convince you to listen to the album, there are songs which are better for this than others. A good range to listen to, as they encompass the different listening experiences of the album, are ‘All Falls Down’, ‘I Guess’ (my absolute favourite) and ‘Spring Into Summer’ (which closes the deluxe edition). It is a completely different tone to the opening tracks – it feels lighter, time has healed – it really is ‘Older (and Wiser)’.

Lizzy’s third-studio album is ‘human’ and personal – once you start listening you won’t be able to stop. 

Image: Sherman Trotz on Pexels