“All I do is hurt you.”
Alternative music is a very diverse genre. Taking influences in the more soothing and relaxing aspects of tonality and timbre, it has a way to mellow our hearts and make us feel at home. In her sophomore album five seconds flat, Lizzy McAlpine does exactly that and a splash more. From the drivers of “firearm” to the heartaches of “doomsday”, McAlpine seamlessly explores the many sonically expressed emotions that can come from such a versatile sub-set of music.
Opening the 14-track catalogue is sorrow-filled “doomsday”. Harrowing lyrics loom heavily over, acting almost as an anthem. Feeling from an intimate and personable place, McAlpine lays her heart on the paper, setting the tone for what’s to come. Beautiful instrumentality envelops the listener in a melancholic state. “doomsday” is a heartthrob and a half; however, it feels short-lived moving on with the record.
“Don’t say that you’ll always love me, ‘cause you know I’d bleed myself dry for you over and over again”
Moving on to the more percussively enhanced “an ego thing”, it is a stark contrast to what we’ve heard in “doomsday”. It has its way of creating an uplifting and euphoric atmosphere. Focusing on accents in many percussive avenues, with staccato plucks and complimentary/stable beats, it excels in creating a driving force in the track. It manages to pick up enough traction, only to be cut off short at its climax. We’re snapped back to reality as we move on to harmonious and dream-filled “erase me”.
With a virtuosic feature in Jacob Collier, I’m instantly entranced by how spectacular and emotive “erase me” is as a standalone. Utilizing many layering techniques and harmonic call and responses, it is a masterfully crafted track in the world of alternative. As it begins to progressively grow in intensity, euphoric synths aid in making “erase me” an absolutely noteworthy single. I absolutely adore every aspect of what is shown, only to be shown up by the next ensuing track.
Opting for a heart-yearning approach, “called you again” greets the ears with welcome arms. With the addition of a somber-laced piano progression in the pre-chorus and explosive violins in the bridge, “called you again” does nothing short of bleeding itself sonically. Creating a dynamic duo in instrumentality and lyricism, it evokes an everlasting empathy for what McAlpine has put on display. I wish I could go out and tell her that everything’s okay, but I’m honestly not sure if I’m okay after this.
“So I’ll make my bed and lie in it; ‘cause I never know when to stop talking.”
Switching gears towards a happy and upbeat style, “all my ghosts” is an interesting specimen to dissect. It has the elements to create a staple alternative/indie track; catchy acoustic riffs interlaced with fingerstyle and non-intrusive drum work. My only gripe with it is the strangeness of its lyrical content. Containing passages such as “I spilled mac and cheese on my pants” and “you got a slurpee for free”, I can’t help but laugh at the absurdity sometimes. After recurring listens, it does aid in storytelling. However, it still holds that shock factor and is merely a personal gripe of mine.
Taking the scenic route with “reckless driving”, Ben Kessler solidifies himself as a complimentary feature to McAlpine’s melancholic style. It exemplifies an easy-going, digestible that makes for a nice listen. Its mainly simplistic structure adds a relaxing factor to it, enhanced by melodic piano passages littered in the background. Based on what has been displayed previously, I more than welcome this to alleviate the sorrowful emotions that have been fore-fronted.
Ballad-style “weird” closes off the first half off this album. It stylistically holds a very different weight and merit to what has been seen before. With dreamlike string usage in fingerstyle and violins, it does a decent job at creating an entrancing environment. However, adlibs halfway through are dissonant to what is wanted/expected to make it a great track. Weird is exactly how I would note this as.
Turning the page to the second half of the record, “ceilings” beautifully opens in slow-dance fashion. Laced with melodic acoustic progression and soft-spoken vocals, it is a heart-wrenching way to start things out. Enhanced by uplifting violin work, it elevates “ceilings” sonically to the next level, near leaving me in a state of constant yearning. Stellar return to form, and I absolutely love every minute of it, even if it leads me towards tears.
“I don’t want to leave, but I have to go.”
Following up with a calmer setting, “what a shame” is anything but that. Shrouding itself in ambient elements, it envelops the listener with its soothing design. It excels greatly in utilizing its relaxing tone to establish a home-like feeling. I can envision myself laying down and putting this track on from time to time whenever I need to take a breather. Simple yet effective.
Driving force “firearm” takes a heavily rock influenced style, leading it to be near isolated in context to the record. There is major dissonance, as it does not appropriately fit into the record’s theme. Containing mellow fingerstyle in its opening verses while transitioning to a hard rock chorus, it creates confusion. It’s a standout for sure, but I don’t believe it to be in the right manner.
Holding similar traits to “firearm”, “hate to be lame” exudes itself in a familiar fashion. In comparison, “hate to be lame” excels between the two. Keeping itself on the calmer side with its rock stylistics helps develop its identity in a better fashion. With accompaniment from Finneas, the two work in wondrous harmony to mesh a solid fit for the album.
“Hate to admit but it might be true.”
Feeling akin to an interlude, “nobody like a secret” presents itself in such a fashion. Short lived and simplistic, there’s almost not too much to say about what goes on. It dons a familiar chord progression throughout and contains no substance or development. Transitionary is all that it is, and that’s perfectly fine.
Lacing itself in a dreamy waltz, “chemtrails” excels highly in its piano work. Solidified in ¾ time foundation, it is accented wonderfully, adding flavour to this entrancing track. Listening through, I find myself swaying to the rhythm, lost in the melody and the etherealness of McAlpine’s tonality. Lyrics don’t begin to set in until repeated listens, which goes to speak volumes of how instrumentally sound “chemtrails” is. Its content is nostalgic, evoking a twang of sadness with it. Another phenomenal track, entranced for every second of its being.
Closing off the story is “orange show speedway”. It engrains itself in the alternative style that most listeners are familiar to. Taking influences from indie rock, it is nice to end on a very jovial and joyful note, given we’ve digested a decent amount of emotive content. Very upbeat and well balanced, this is 100% an anthem you’ll end up dancing to at a festival. It has its small moment in the bridge where you’re meant to reflect, but it is not at all intrusive to the experience. Everything about “orange show speedway” is the perfect way to close off the story told.
With five seconds flat, Lizzy McAlpine has crafted some stellar work for the alternative and indie genre. Brewing up a wonderfully diverse yet familiar set of tracks, this record is for sure one to keep in your back pocket when you’re in the need for a little mellow.
8/10
five seconds flat is available via AWAL on Friday, April 8th, and you can pre-order the record here.