Album Review Sorcha Richardson - Smiling Like An Idiot

Sorcha Richardson revels in 20/20 vision on ‘Smiling Like An Idiot’. The album - which follows the timeline of a relationship - takes as much from the healing powers of time and reflection as it does from the starry-eyed heat of the moment. The immersive first act leans into poetic denial, with its rose-tinted sound brightest on ‘Spotlight Television’, at first glance a gooey love song, yet one that jars once you realise the lyrics are “I’ll keep getting smaller for you / Anything that I can do”. This self-aware indulgence makes the eventual shift to tentative happiness all the more appealing. ‘Hard To Fake It’ revels in allowing itself to brood; ‘Holiday’ comes full-circle with lyrical realism. These subtle changes in tone keep ‘Smiling Like An Idiot’ from feeling too repetitive, and place her learning curve at its core.