Singer-songwriter Lizzy McAlpine released her fourth studio album “Angel” a few weeks ago on September 18, after announcing the album in late July.

The album's single “The light in the painting” was released on July 23, three days following the album's announcement. The track is not only beautiful, but is a “Love Letter to Stillness” according to Girls Who Tour writer Mailia Wornum in her review of the song.

Moving into the rest of the album we begin with "Anybody's Fool”. The song starts off strong with a constant building piano in the background which moves into a warping melody. McAlpine does something I’ve not heard in a song before–expressing the longing to exist in a toxic relationship for the validation of their affection, singing “want you to want me again like that / I like the way it feels to not be anybody's fool” in the chorus. Personally, I wish this track went just a bit longer, and used the bridge to dive into these emotions more rather than sitting in this numb reflection on the surface level.

Track three is “A car wash and a new pair of pants”, a reflection of someone who wanted the relationship for fame and attention rather than connection, highlighted through the lyrics “You wanted thе lights and the parties / You wanted my lifе to be yours” and the gut wrenching confession of “I just loved you.” in the bridge, expressing the betrayal McAlpine feels considering the genuine care she had for the individual. The melody is catchy and upbeat, contrasting the song's sad nature, and once again is very stripped instrumentally, highlighting her strong vocals.

Skipping down to Track 5, “The moon” is one of my personal favorites on the album. I appreciate the return of the strong guitar and its constant presence. Lyrically the song is poetry, with lyrics such as “Lay on my pillow and be more than just a man / More than just a body holding out a hand / Be somebody new, be two, be the desert sand” and “But in the early morning, laying there / The handsome prince and maiden fair / I am in your debt, I am no freer than the moon”. The entire song builds and flows beautifully and her use of layer background vocals create a surrounding effect, which is strongest during my favorite part, from 3:35 to the end. Out of all the songs on the album, this one has the biggest production, the most layers, rather than the acoustic simplicity found on most of the other tracks.

“Ugly Things” was the second single on the album and dives into the aftermath of a break-up, when there is love still present. She wishes she could focus on the ugly things, rather than all the good, and that they could help her move on and somehow, love her again. For me, the track didn’t stand out to me in any particular way. Once again, I wish she would dive into the emotion a bit deeper in the bridge, highlight more of the ugly feelings or the ultimate longing for the ugly things, even when it hurts.

Jumping to track 9 we have “Over Country”. This was my top pick, being a testament to long distance love, the beauty of this song is how it can apply not just to romantic love, but platonic or familial as well. Everyone thinks of someone different when they hear this track, whether it's across an ocean or simply a few hours away. McAlpine speaks to how we see these people in the things around us, even when they are physically far, in “the way the wind moves / In the siren call / In the way the room cries / To the words of a song / In the holding of hands / And the way the guitar plays this tune”. In all of these small things, “I can hear you” McAlpine sings. The song has created a popular trend as well, people posting their loved ones to the melody on social media.

The next stand out was track 13, the “The crowd”. The song is about McAlpine’s late father who passed away in 2020. The track is not only emotional, but deeply touching, diving into her grief and the longing for more memories together. McAlpine expresses how “Everything I do I do so I can make you proud / Everything I do / I make it big so you can hear the crowd .” The lyrics are accompanied by a powerful piano to her vocals, and her use of a key change as well as stripped vocals really shine for a ballot where you can hear all the emotion in her voice. One of the most heartbreaking lyrics is the confession that “I wish I told you more that I loved you / There's so much I would have said” in the final verse before the last chorus.

Closing out the album we have the title track “Angel”. The song is about the feeling of falling into love again and trusting someone. It once again features smaller moments of affection, such as being in each other's arms, watching each other, and small smiles. While the opening of “The light in the painting” is a discovery of love and feels almost all consuming, this song sits in that affection, and learning the feeling of being with someone once more.

While it can be argued that Angel is “boring” or overly simple, that's where the true beauty of this album lives. I’ll admit that after my first listen though, that’s what I believed. I saw the songs as too similar and running together, and missed the intense production of second studio album “Five Seconds Flat” or the gut wrenching lyrics of her third studio album “Older”. However, it’s not to compete with these two for greatness but rather stand as a testament to the now. While there are a few personal skips for me, listening to these over and over made me deeply appreciate some of the tracks she’s put on here and will definitely become my favorites over time.