We can do it all over again as much as we like, the impact always changes. For Girl in Red the focus shifts, the nervous energy and electrified excitement of a debut feature is removed and in its place is a new mantra. This is the survival of any artist pushing forward with a second, third or even fourth record. Keep your head above the waters as we all do and see how long the hydrophytes snare around your legs and pull you under. Time does not stop for a sad little girl as opener I’m Back responds to the passing of time between first and second albums. It never gets deeper than this and sticks to a pretty vapid and obvious set of conclusions over its ten brief tracks.
Girl in Red is back, that much is confirmed by its twinkling and light opening track. I’m Doing It Again Baby! struggles to take charge of its possible calls for emotional maturity through sophisticated lyrics. Even then something interesting to hook a listener would not go amiss. Some country flickers head through the build of noise on DOING IT AGAIN BABY but it amounts to very little. Boisterous moments without a link between them. Taylor Swift as an influence makes sense for Girl in Red though the similarities in tone and lyrical depth remain unfortunate. Tepid at times but backed by stronger senses in this desire to seek out new sounds. Girl in Red does this well enough. A solid turn on a blisteringly short album. Even clocking under a half-hour Girl in Red struggles to avoid filler tracks like closer ***** or the loud punctures of Too Much. They have the nails on a chalkboard shock to them, those pangs of sudden volume – but it does little, and the impact is mixed.
Pangs of sincere emotional pain and turmoil flood Phantom Pain and the electronic boost, the distortion and fear become an all too plain concept. It reflects a mind under pressure and the follow-up track, You Need Me Now? feels almost inevitable. Sabrina Carpenter adds little to the track, but her name value now may elevate Girl in Red. The final third of the track is dedicated to announcing and featuring Carpenter, defeating the purpose and quelling any potential surprise which could exist here. Boneless Swift attitudes which feel like the sort of shlock empowerment only a billionaire can now provide. That is not to paint the slick and simple production of A Night to Remember as a clamouring pop effort, but it certainly elicits the influences Girl in Red hopes to cling to. It just becomes overwhelmingly obvious and lacks the smarts to interpret inspiration as a new idea.
Few ideas on I’m Doing It Again Baby! stick out but there is a formidable consistency. Girl in Red sounds ready to break from those influences and counters with commendable efforts on Pick Me, though the basic message within is a trend running through the album and poking holes in its relatable depths. I’m Doing It Again Baby! fears risk. A few alt-pop patterns towards the end will do nothing to shift the fundamental tone of an album already restricting itself to keep in line with bigger musicians whose fans may filter off and into this by chance. Self-centred moments on Ugly Side show the real feelings of not getting your way and provide the all too familiar beats and rhythms of pop music at its most welcoming but disengaged. Flat and fair works filter throughout this Girl in Red album, a sign they are yet to find a voice despite having the magnetism to bring on collaborations with solid names.
Discover more from Cult Following
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
