Lizzy McAlpine has hit her fans hard with her third studio album Older, released April 5th. It consists of fourteen new tracks, packed with McAlpine’s typical heartbreaking lyrics and stunning vocals. She covers a lot of ground with the content of these songs, including relationship trials and triumphs, the death of her father, and the all encompassing fear of getting older (hence the title). True to her typical style, her songs are slow and hard hitting, with swelling instrumentals; emotive violins and piercing piano chords.
TRACK LIST
The Elevator
Come Down Soon
Like It Tends To Do
Movie Star
All Falls Down
Staying
I Guess
Drunk, Running
Broken Glass
You Forced Me To
Older
Better Than This
March
Vortex
Lizzy McAlpine is a singer-songwriter born and raised in the suburbs of Philadelphia. Older follows her first two albums, Give Me A Minute and Five Seconds Flat, released in 2020 and 2022 respectively. McAlpine blew up on TikTok with her song "ceilings" from Five Seconds Flat, and also recently collaborated with rising folk artists Noah Kahan. Her music is a similar style to Gracie Abrams and Phoebe Bridgers, with simplistic instrumentals, emotive lyrics, and a stunning voice.
The Elevator
The album opens with a quick track titled “The Elevator”. It is less than 2 minutes of simple piano chords, a vocal line full of harmonies and hope, and an outro filled with the intensity of falling in love. It is one of the only songs on this album that is hopeful and does not state the fear or toxicity of the relationship. She hopes that she can stay in this love forever, but if it is anything like the relationship she sings about in the rest of her songs, maybe staying is not for the best.
Come Down Soon
Anyone insecure in love can understand the message in this song. McAlpine sings about her partner and how they know each other so well, but she still feels like it is bound to end. She doesn’t allow herself to feel totally comfortable, for fear that the rug will be pulled out from under her. She laughs at his jokes and praises how he knows her so well, but she still finds herself wary of being hurt. She puts this complicated (but relatable) feeling into words, perhaps even the idea of “coming down” being a reference to the elevator that she just spent so much time loving and learning.
Like It Tends To Do
And just like that, the love saga is over. McAlpine sings about how her relationship that once held a comfortable and easy love has turned tense and complicated. Every lyric in the chorus is phrased as a question, showing her confusion and frustration and her lack of knowledge. The instrumentation is slow and sober, and allows her voice to be the main event.
Movie Star
Track 4 explains McAlpine’s feelings dwindling for her relationship. The first verse and chorus feels so excited and giddy, almost as if she is a little kid singing about a crush. By the end of the song, however, she has realized that maybe this relationship is not as good for her as she thought. She feels put on a pedestal rather than actually being seen, and by the end of the song questions if this is even what she truly wants.
All Falls Down
The epidemic of heartbreaking lyrics with a fun background beat has struck again with this track. McAlpine sings about her mental health issues, and specific years in her life coupled with what she was dealing with behind the scenes at the time. The ‘all’ in the title seems to be life itself, as her outro sings about how when it falls, “it all falls down on you at the same time”. McAlpine had canceled the UK and Europe dates of her last tour for mental health purposes, which is briefly mentioned in this song. Fans were disheartened to hear she would not be performing, but it is clear that the artist needed a break. The feelings she describes in this song are indicative of this, and hopefully sheds some light on the fact that everyone struggles, even those appearing at the top of their game.
Staying
“Staying” hits listeners hard as McAlpine sings about second guessing when to leave the relationship. The first verse has one of my favorite lyrics of all time: “Now I'm laying in bed with you / And you're falling asleep / How can you look so peaceful / When you know I'm gonna leave?” The words are so simplistic, but are so realistic. McAlpine has stated that this is her favorite song off of this album, and it is so clear why. Sonically, the track is melancholic and feels like something off of her first album, Give Me A Minute.
I Guess
“I Guess” was released as a single in March, and gives a nice contrast to the plethora of anxious songs on this album. This track is the only one on this album, except for “the Elevator”, that sings about being in love in a positive context. It feels like the giddy beginning of a relationship, where she is guessing about the different things that got her to this moment. The outro incorporates fan vocals from her Toronto show during her last tour, a sweet homage to her supporters.
Drunk, Running
Another song of a somber piano and heartbreaking outro, “Drunk, Running” compares her love to her partner’s alcoholism. The soundscape ebbs and flows constantly, mimicking the stability of the relationship going back and forth. The outro is clever and interesting, where she tells him she sings, “Say, "I love you" / And then drink it backwards / Say, "I love you" / Uoy еvol I, Uoy evol I”. The last lyric is the sound of someone saying ‘I love you’ but put in reverse, over a sorrowful violin track and echoes of laughter and better times than this.
Broken Glass
“Broken Glass” details a toxic relationship where McAlpine questions why she stayed so long, but also acknowledges her faults in the situation. The verses and chorus are matter of fact and snarky, while the bridge explodes in a very “doomsday”-esq pattern (a song on her last album Five Seconds Flat).
You Forced Me To
Perhaps the most exact depiction of the thoughts behind a toxic relationship, “You Forced Me To” explains McAlpines reactions to her lover’s poor actions. The backing piano track mimics that of a whirlwind carnival ride, which is definitely on purpose. The tug of war and nauseating realizations of the fact that this is not love is prevalent, and she claims that he forced her to change out of the loving person she once was.
Older
“Older”, the titular track on this album, was released as a single in February, and it is certainly clear why. The terrifying feeling of growing up, of finding love and losing it, and watching your parents age with you, all while wondering if you are making the right choices as you move along, is something that everyone can relate to. It feels all encompassing of this album, and was certainly an amazing teaser to get fans excited for the heartbreaking songs to come.
Better Than This
These next three songs feel like something out of my own head, especially “Better Than This”. In my opinion, it is one of the most real and hard hitting songs that I have heard in a long time, and something that so many people can relate to. She sings lyrics like, “What if I'm not a good person? / You always say that I am / But you don't really know me at all now / I think that I'm not who you think I am” and “But I like to be seen and I like to be wanted / Want it to mean something, though”. Her honesty in a point of view that might not be seen in her favor is so respectable, and brings a layer of openness to this song. She knows that this is not the best she will ever have, but also knows that her partner deserves better than she can give.
March
McAlpine has released songs about her father’s passing in other works, but as someone who has also struggled with this kind of grief, this track is by far her most accurate. The feeling of desperately searching for lessons, seeing him even in places he is not, and wondering when this will finally feel easier is all too familiar, and she pours her heart into this song. She experiments with echos and a fade out at the end of the song, with her grief lingering on the tip of her tongue.
Vortex
When I say that I have never heard a better bridge in my life, I mean it. “Vortex” is a stunning song, both vocally and lyrically. McAlpine’s harmonies and crescendo of instrumentation throughout takes you on a journey along with the relationship in question. Listeners feel the tension grow as instruments slowly get added to the original piano track, and she cascades into arguments and screaming matches, knowing that this cannot be what love is. The two are tied together so tightly that they cannot escape each other, and keep coming back even though they know it will not work. She ends the song with the lyric “Someday you'll come back, and I'll say no”, which I have heard a million times since the release and never fails to leave me speechless. The outro is 1 minute and 30 seconds of motifs from her other songs, intense vocals, and a cacophony of beautiful instruments that are both heartstopping and uplifting.
Some albums simply have stunning vocals. Some have amazing lyricism and storytelling. Some have fantastic instrumentals that convey the artist's heart and soul. This album truly has it all. McAlpine has gifted us with 14 songs full of angst, heartbreak, and love, and I for one cannot thank her enough. She has found her style and solidified her voice, and is no doubt an artist to keep an eye on.
Written By Tessa Maddaloni
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