Three years after her last release “if i could make it go quiet,” girl in red has returned with quite the comeback. Norwegian indie pop star Marie Ulven Ringheim released her new album on April 12 and I’ve been hooked ever since.
A perfect mix of music to dance and cry to, you won’t regret turning to Spotify and hitting play on this stellar album.
Back and Doing it Again Baby
The first track opens the album with “I’m Back.” This song serves as a prelude, allowing Ringheim to open up and relate with her listeners. Through her lyrics she explains her experiences of her break from producing music. It’s nice to be reminded how music, and all other art, can be an outlet that allows us to be vulnerable with one another.
The next track on the album is a complete shift. The title track, “DOING IT AGAIN BABY,” has a catchy melody and lyrics that reflect feelings of high self-esteem. Listening closer, this song is where the story begins. Echoing the tone set from the song before, Ringheim’s lyrics explain how the break has helped her find who she is again and is ready to share that with everyone.
A Wild Ride of Emotion
We all know the dating world can be a scary, wild ride. Marie does justice in taking us along this ride in the next few songs of the album.
“Too Much,” “Phantom Pain,” “You Need Me Now?” and “A Night To Remember” are all different experiences in song form that I believe listeners will resonate with a lot.
My favorite among these is “Phantom Pain.” I am so intrigued by the use of strings in this song and the experimentation of styles and distortion. Ringheim holds so much power in these songs and does an amazing job in creating a space for everyone to feel seen, including herself.
“Pick Me” follows and is the perfect ballad. The belting and attitude brought out in these lyrics is gut wrenching. The end of the song has the lines “Let the loser win, let me be your prince, time stands still within, when you leave with him” echoing in the background. This alone left tears streaming down my face. I believe this song will hit home for a lot of queer identifying individuals.
Wipe your tears, because the next track, “Ugly Side” brings the beat in. This song highlights Ringheim’s bad side, hence the title “Ugly Side,” and how she has been able to cope with and defend the use of her emotions. Female presenting individuals usually don’t have the luxury of sharing these emotions widely, making this a great addition to the album.
The next track “New Love” brings back the feelings of longing but in a new light. A song about a lost romance, girl in red explains what it means to have lost the meaning of love and the trouble of finding it again.
The final track on the album, also being the shortest, has the most experimental aspects to it. “*****” is a great wrap up of the album. It makes recalls to previous songs and lyrics from before like “DOING IT AGAIN BABY” and “Ugly Side.”
This experimental departure the other songs on the album gets me excited for what’s to come next from girl in red.
To check out more girl in red, visit her website.
l.hansen@dailyutahchronicle.com
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