Lizzy McAlpine - Older

Grappling with the success of a viral hit can be challenging at the best of times, let alone when you’ve already moved on to an entirely new project. That’s a predicament that Lizzy McAlpine found herself facing when her track ‘Ceilings’ - taken from her 2022 album ‘Five Seconds Flat’ - was suddenly thrust into the TikTok hype machine after she’d already begun work on its follow-up. But rather than let the song’s sudden success dictate her next move, instead, the 24 year old stayed the course, going on to create a delicate but rich third record that sees her songwriting continue to evolve. Managing to be both bold and understated, ‘Older’ sees Lizzy layer her take on confessional indie-folk with widescreen instrumentation to gorgeous effect. Whether in the woozy Americana lilt of ‘I Guess’, the cinematic strings of ‘Drunk Running’, or the grand swell towards the culmination of ‘Broken Glass’, there’s a confidence imbued within her offerings here - both musically and lyrically - that, you sense, has only been possible with growth. A luscious album that sees the singer shrug off the pressures of present day virality in favour of creating something much more classic.