Lizzy McAlpine’s third studio album, chronicling her four-year “situationship” over 14 tracks, returns with the effortless beauty we’ve come to expect from the pop-folk artist; woody acoustic guitar so delicious you can practically taste each strum; vocals that dip and rise with kite-like elegance; each song edged with harmonic self-assuredness. And yet, there is something left to be desired here; a lack of listenability that wasn’t felt in her sophomore album Five Seconds Flat (FSF).

‘The Elevator’ is a gorgeous drop into Older’s sonic world, revisiting the breathy strings and intimate harmonies from Give Me a Minute and signposting a pivot from the far poppier FSF. The following track ‘Come Down Soon’ sways into a breezy, almost Australian-indie sound reminiscent of Spacey Jane or The Rubens. From this pleasant (though pedestrian) opening, however, McAlpine falls into a rather disappointing pattern of tedious and unremarkable ballads that, while well-arranged, are dragged down by melodies that seem painfully unintuitive. 

‘Like It Tends To Do’ is performed on what sounds to be a rubber-bridged guitar, largely popularised by Phoebe Bridgers - though unlike Bridgers, who has such a mastery of insightful specificity in her writing, McAlpine has lyrical moments that border on cumbersome: “Feels exactly like it was/but at the same time it feels so different.” Good one. 

‘Movie Star’ shares the same weakness, as McAlpine seems to opt for generic sweeps over the more idiosyncratic lyricism of previous songs like ‘Erase Me’ or ‘Orange Show Speedway’. This vagueness is mirrored in the sonic profile of the album as a whole, with each song bleeding unobtrusively into the next in a way that prioritises cohesion to the detriment of intrigue. You’ll find yourself checking and rechecking track-titles with increasing perplexity, each song lacking its own sonic identity and an evolving point-of-view. The record is further plagued by an unevenness best demonstrated by ‘You Forced Me To’; an alien, gothic sounding piece with a gorgeous piano solo sandwiched between two, melodically grating, lyrically underwhelming verses. A tired rehash of everything McAlpine has already said, herein lies a lovely, unique idea that has no room to grow into its own. At large, Older lacks the catchiness that FSF was so awash with, remaining mostly one-note for 45 minutes as it repeatedly comes at the same issue from the same angle. 

That being said, there are definite stand-outs on the track list. McAlpine’s production has become lusher and more gravitational, which is best encapsulated by title track ‘Older’. Stripping away all childish frills, the full-bodied, swelling instrumental simplicity helps to reflect the lyrical themes of maturation and growing perspective, while the lilting piano progression finishes on a chord that seems to pose both question and answer. Similarly, ‘Broken Glass’ is one of the few songs with a pressing energy, with a true desire to be sung and to be heard in its cascade of flutterings and rumbling drum beats. Its off-kilter vibe and eerie strings remind me of ‘Doomsday’, one of the strongest tracks on FSF, perhaps an uncomfortable indication that the fervour of McAlpine’s earlier work largely eludes her on this third studio album. 

Closing track ‘Vortex’ finally delivers a true lyrical sucker-punch: “we’re just awful together/ and awful apart” is the kind of keening confession that makes you hug your own stomach in intoxicating agony. The build-up throughout the entire bridge is a glorious example of just how compelling McAlpine can be, a charisma that is unfortunately missing from the other tracks. Still, ‘All Falls Down’ is a woozy banger, and ‘March’ gives us some much-needed context as to exactly why we’re so upset about this failed romance. 

Overall, Older definitely lands on its feet in terms of a new, more authentic sonic direction for the young writer, and I hope she is proud of her determination to seek out the sound despite countless setbacks. Still, it remains that McAlpine has remarked that she writes all of her songs quickly, in one sitting. To that I say: yes, we can tell. 

Lizzy McAlpine's 'Older' is available to listen now on all major music platforms.