The opening lyric perfectly encapsulates the wave of emotions felt when listening to Lizzy McAlpine’s extended third studio album, “Older (and Wiser).”
“It wasn’t slow, it happened fast.”
Released on Oct. 4, McAlpine added three new songs, a demo and her single, “Pushing It Down and Praying” released on Sept. 20.
I’ve been a fan of her since her 2022 album “five seconds flat.” Somehow, McAlpine continues to create music that describes being a teenage girl in college so well.
Fantasizing about the perfect future with someone, realizing it’s extremely unrealistic and being disappointed repeatedly seems to be the common theme in both the extended album and my life.
Coming into college being in a long-term relationship was hard to navigate. Even when things were good, I can’t deny what I pushed aside to continue living in this dream world. When you love someone you tend to ignore the subtle mistreatment.
Now as a sophomore, I have to figure out who I am outside of my past relationship. Listening to “Force of Nature” made me feel seen and understood. When it’s hard to explain your feelings, there’s always a song out there that puts it into words.
McAlpine sings “I know I had a hand in/ The falling of the sword/ The crashing of the car/ No one could stop it.” There’s nothing you can do when you know your relationship is doomed. Even if you see it coming, it still feels like it came out of left field and you don’t want to accept it.
The bridge of the song hit me hardest. “What a constant surprise/ Seeing your face there/ In the doorway/ You are exactly the past/ I don’t want to drag up/ All the things we were/ All the things we never got a chance to be.”
I could feel the regret in McAlpine’s voice as the instruments built. Maybe not regret how it ended, but how you let it go on for as long as it did.
“Soccer Practice” is so beautifully depressing. The slow strum of the guitar and McAlpine’s soft voice as she imagines what it would be like to have a perfect family and a mundane life with a new love interest fills you with heartache.
The first time I listened to this song I just felt called out. It was comforting to know that someone out there felt the same way I did.
My favorite part of this song is the chorus. She sings “We could’ve had it, but then again/ We never could’ve done it, I was weaker then/ I hate to say it, I know it’s true/ I’m waiting for someone who will make me say no to you.”
This song was originally teased on TikTok on June 3, and much like myself, many of McAlpine’s fans fell in love with it and expressed how much they wanted it released.
During the outro of “Soccer Practice,” the chorus is reversed, which is something she’s done before. In the standard version of the album, “Older,” McAlpine features this same idea in her song “Drunk, Running.”
Even though the feelings and themes conveyed in both “Force of Nature” and “Soccer Practice” are valid, there’s always light at the end of the tunnel.
That’s exactly how listening to “Spring into Summer” felt.
She opens the song by singing “Spring into summer, and the winter’s gone/ I try to hold on to it, but the current’s too strong.” While this song may be about recounting memories and feeling regret, to me this song symbolizes that everything will be OK.
“Spring into Summer” has a beat that’s very different from the other songs from this album, with upbeat drums, a faster-paced acoustic guitar and a slight synth. The song feels exactly like the title says. After a cold and dead winter, there will always be spring and summer.
I like the backing vocals and how McAlpine sings a bit louder in this song. It really feels like starting over.
So, whenever your feelings get too heavy or you’re being constantly let down, just know I was once at that point too. But college is all about discovering who you are, and “Older (and Wiser)” helped me accomplish just that. Maybe I am wiser after all.
