April 8 marked the one-year anniversary of the successful masterpiece “five seconds flat”, Lizzy McAlpine’s second studio album. At 45 minutes and five seconds, McAlpine creates a sensation of an album that is both sonically and lyrically a touching expression of her heartfelt vocalization about her life.
“The theme of both albums is heartbreak,” McAlpine said in an interview with Atwood Magazine, adding that this album, “feels more mature and more angry.”
McAlpine originally gained popularity by posting her songs on TikTok, with her unreleased song “You Ruined the 1975” capturing the attention of many. However, she explained in an interview with Spotify that she used that song as a “jumping off point” to get people caring about the same things she does. She explained that she makes music that encompasses her “deepest thoughts, fears and worries” and if she made “big, loud music it would take away from that.”
In “five seconds flat,” McAlpine uses sound to create a retrospective memory. The lyrics are sharp, and the vocal melodies are appealing, but they also have depth to them. McAlpine appears to have put a lot of work into making her voice blend seamlessly with the tune, as opposed to simply placing a vocal performance on top. Alpine’s voice uses a subtle power to lift her emotions, which lends itself well to the instrumentals.
The album opens with “doomsday,” a strong song about breaking up with somebody narcissistic. McAlpine creates a story about a death while trying to move on after a relationship, as she sings, “Doomsday is close at hand / I’ll book the marching band to play as you speak.” With minor chords and hauntingly striking lyrics, McAlpine sets up the theme of the rest of the album.
The track “all my ghosts” expresses the dichotomy of the beginning and ending of a relationship through the lyrics. She talks about meeting “underneath fluorescent lights,” which are cold and exposing. As the pair get closer to one another, they end up under kitchen lights, which are typically more warm and comfortable.
The song “reckless driving” contrasts the previous track, as one person realized the relationship won’t work and the other person was far too deep to see that. She used some clever wordplay saying “now we’re at one eighty / And I can finally see” signifying the end of a relationship.
Though this album came out a year ago, Lizzy McAlpine has recently took the internet by storm with her viral hit “ceilings.” She explained to Spotify that “ceilings” was the first song she wrote for the album. She plays on delusions created in her mind and then snaps out of it, realizing “it’s not real.” With her gentle voice and pleasant acoustic guitar accompaniment, she delivers a powerful performance of recalling a past love and being reminded that they no longer exist for you and have been replaced by someone else. She explains the sense of being stuck between “comfort and chaos.”
The song “chemtrails” is about her dad who passed away in 2020. She uses echoing synths and creates a melody that produces a sense of memory drift and nostalgia. This is the echo of dreams, obsession, love, and yearning deep inside. She sings: “I see lines in the sand, but I don’t see who made them” and “I see chemtrails in the sky, but I don’t see the plane,” pointing towards the experience of seeing signs that her father watches over her. An audio snippet of her father’s voice trickles in midway through the track. Nostalgia hits full circle making the listener feel like we are also with our other halves. It is easily the most devastating and emotional song on the album, with nods towards missing someone who is no longer here.
The album ends with “orange show speedway,” which feels nostalgic both about the beginning of her relationship but also about all the people she’s lost. Sonically, this song is a stark contrast to the beginning of the album, with more upbeat tones. Lyrically, she also boasts a carefree rendition of the struggles she has been dealing with over the course of the album, saying “My best friends are with me and I feel okay / The last time I was here, I was eighteen.” She captures the feeling of being content with life now while still acknowledging past memories.
Even though this album is about emotional death, this song is full of vitality, indicating the potential of rebirth “when you’re racing headfirst towards something that’ll kill you in five seconds flat.” The nod to the title of the album comes in full circle, which emphasizes the cohesiveness of this album.
With sophisticated production, great poetry, and bold originality, “five seconds flat” successfully avoids the sophomore slump. McAlpine utilizes her music to vocalize life’s most complex emotions and recover authority over situations in which she previously felt helpless.
Kaviya Raja can be reached at [email protected].
