Accepting change, living with it, and learning to move on. These are the central tenets of singer-songwriter Lizzy McAlpine’s third studio album “Older” and its deluxe edition “Older (and Wiser),” released on April 5, 2024 and Oct. 5, 2024, respectively. As a several-year fan of McAlpine’s discography, known for its cutting lyrics and catchy vocals, I waited with bated breath after the artist announced her new project last spring.
Despite the album being well-received by fans, I was less than blown away on my first pass — I had sky-high hopes after her sophomore album “five seconds flat.” By comparison, “Older” felt a little one-note; it was just easy listening with room to grow on most tracks and questionable decisions about song structure and length. I wanted to enjoy it more than I did.
However, revisiting it eight months later, and pontificating during my fifth (or 10th, or 25th) listens, was what sold me on this being one of her strongest works to date. It’s a love letter to the singer-songwriter craft in all its melancholic and personal glory. McAlpine doesn’t shy away from experimenting with music and a full band, writing lyrics to pierce her heart and the audience’s, or allowing silence to speak for itself.
This is an album that deserves digestion, and you may not understand it on the first listen — I didn’t, but that doesn’t mean I don’t get it now.
“The Elevator”
This song remains flawless. I love the soft piano melody in the beginning. McAlpine is one of my favorite voices in the industry, and how she wields her soft tone in the layers of this track is captivating. The accumulating harmonies hummed between lines perfectly accompany the raw, piercing lyrics. When the drop hits, I’m thrilled by the weighty instrumental following it and upset only 36 seconds are left.
“Come Down Soon”
Gorgeous, reflective, and romantic. I love the acoustic guitar and jazzy notes interspersed throughout to add more dimension, much like the outro’s layered backing vocals. McAlpine is a lyricist first, and the reflective storytelling she engages in here is the most compelling part of the track. Despite being less “produced” in nature than her previous album, the instrumentation is lush and easy to listen to.
“Like It Tends To Do”
These vocals would be more powerful if backed by a stronger melody, but the acapella spotlight of her voice is still incredible. I simply have very little to grasp in this song — it feels like more of a quiet, sad interlude. The string and orchestral buildup at the last minute is fantastic, and I wish there were longer sections with a similar punch under the melody line.
“Movie Star”
I adore a Lizzy McAlpine love song, and this is particularly vivid — until the performative and sacrificial nature of this relationship drops in to haunt the track with muffled vocals and cutting lyrics. Her singing is so conversational and delicate, but I’d appreciate this track more if it wasn’t over so quickly, ruining the momentum before it begins.
“All Falls Down”
The atmosphere McAlpine creates here, from the cheerful beat to the melancholy lyrics to the scattered horns throughout, is amazing. It’s instrumental backing for a rainy-day rom-com scene. It’s about finding and losing yourself. It’s just delightful. This song without fail makes me think of one of my best friends.
“Staying”
Lizzy McAlpine’s lyrics see me like no one else’s. They tear open wounds and put balms over them in the span of a few minutes. I have little to say about her voice besides lauding its beauty again, but I also love the knowledge of theory that shines through in her melodic choices — the layered “oh” that carries the second half is perfectly constructed. But the song cuts off with an abrupt beat and leaves me wanting more.
“I Guess”
Fun fact I can never forget: One of my friends was at the Toronto show the crowd audio in this song was sampled from, and I continually cling to my jealousy. I digress; this song makes me viscerally upset. Her lyrics paint crystal-clear imagery of mundane and meaningful moments, and I love the simplicity of the chorus with its repeated and incisive phrasing. That sampled crowd crescendo at the end makes the song complete.
“Drunk, Running”
Out of the original 14 tracks, this song has the most staying power. Her voice always shines the brightest on a song with a delicate piano melody, and the chorus is a delicious extension of the intro. I love the distorted bridge vocals, and the sweeping strings, yet I wish there was more storytelling in the latter half. I am a writer who chases words over music while listening, but it’s beautiful music regardless.
“Broken Glass”
McAlpine shoots for the kill from the opening lines, yet initially, I doubted if the song would build much from there. But when the crashing cymbals and cinematic vocals enter at 1:56, my focus returns — until the sound dissipates. This song echoes my complaint with several of its peer tracks — it only makes a necessary pivot from “good” to “great” until too long after it’s begun, and it lets go too long before it’s over.
“You Forced Me To”
Falling out of love is a uniquely horrible experience, but McAlpine handles it with grace in this thematic number. The discordant keys, guitars, and vocals are so unsettling, yet perfectly back the choppy, self-loathing lyrical patterns she circulates throughout the song. The staccato and dissonant harmonies in each chorus are fascinating, and I love the discomfort I feel while listening to this song. It’s more like a diary than a song, and I welcome it.
“Older”
“Older” was a perfect lead single to set the tone for the entire album, with its poignant lyrics and spotlight on her ever-maturing, blossoming voice as an artist. A special place in my heart is reserved for the line about mothers in the second verse — thinking about mine.
“Better Than This”
This was when I decided I needed to make peace with this album’s quiet nature and enjoy it. It’s reminiscent of her 2021 live album, “When the World Stopped Moving,” which contains my favorite songs in her discography. (That EP has songs that peer into the deepest parts of my soul. I actually ghost-wrote it.) The refrain is simple, real, and reassuring — I love tasteful repetition within a song to build a story! McAlpine never shies away from revealing feelings anyone can identify with.
“March”
As you grow up and go through this life, you learn that getting older doesn’t always make you wiser in ways you can detect, but instead opens up new ways and lessons for you to learn you never knew you would reach before. This song puts that into much prettier words.
“Vortex”
Sickening lyrics from McAlpine; fork found in kitchen. This is my undisputed favorite song on the original album. The keys descending on the line “spinning out in a vortex” is genius musicianship. This song is about sitting and feeling, moving and breathing, and experiencing in equal measure. When the bridge hits, it hits right in the gut. It’s a strong love song and a scream of catharsis, and her vocals are fantastically powerful until the ending, even without words.
“Method Acting (Demo)”
I simply adore a demo track. We’re granted so much vulnerability by listening to this song in its original form, almost like a breakup directly spoken to her partner in a moment we shouldn’t be able to see. That also goes to say: I like it, I don’t love it. I long for a stronger refrain, a bigger build, just something more to engage with. My favorite line is “You say you’d rather live unfairly if it keeps me in your life” during the track-highlight second verse. That alone is worth listening to.
“Pushing It Down and Praying”
This is a perfect single for the deluxe rollout and features almost uncomfortable levels of intimacy. Despite the slightly risque opening lines, the track becomes a standout with its excellent build to the muffled bridge and heavy emotional introspection. I love the chorus and the gritty vocals in the outro.
“Soccer Practice”
This song imagines the future instead of dwelling on the past, a departure from the themes intertwined with the other tracks’ lyrics. McAlpine thinks about a monotonous suburban life, and what — or who — could take her away from it. Her storytelling is at its absolute finest, landing blow after blow with striking self-awareness of her complex emotions without the song’s subject in her life. It’s masterfully done.
“Force of Nature”
This song is stunning. These layered vocals and twinkling keys make the melody one of my favorites, but I wish McAlpine had a stronger climax than the repetition of “none of it matters” fading back into soft hums and finger-plucked chords. The track simply melts back into the background landscape of the album without much fanfare.
“Spring Into Summer”
My favorite deluxe track and one of my current favorite songs! Tiny Habits’ breezy backing vocals instantly elevate the track. So much of this album is spent looking back at hurt, mourning, and imagining — this is hope in song form. The airy, everpresent guitar along with the beautiful, catchy melody is impossible not to enjoy. It’s a well-chosen closer to end the album cycle on a positive note.
Favorite tracks: “Vortex,” “Spring Into Summer,” “The Elevator,” “Soccer Practice,” “Better Than This,” and “March”
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