The idea of releasing your debut album in a world where you’re unable to tour in support of it must be daunting, yet that’s the situation Lizzy Farrall finds herself facing.
Luckily for both Lizzy and her fans, ‘Bruise’ is a phenomenal collection of tracks that defies the concept of ‘genres’ more than most artists on the market right now. Her fearlessness sees her not just dip her toe into a number of different sounds, but dive in head first. As a result, she would fit just as comfortably on the Glastonbury lineup among Taylor Swift and Paul McCartney as she does among AFI and Jimmy Eat World on the 2000trees bill.
It would be easy for an album that pulls from so many influences to feel messy and confusing, but ‘Bruise’ is coherent in its eclecticism. It’s not just the consistency of Farrall’s strikingly distinctive voice that ties this record together either, but the meticulous construction of each track; the strong production, and undeniable catchiness all factor into its appeal, too.
From the moment the opening notes of bubblegum synth-rock ‘Addict’ hit your ears, to the last few seconds of the album’s huge first single and album closer, ‘Barbados’, you’ll find yourself drawn in, greedily lapping up the synths, the dirty riffs, the agonisingly relatable lyrics, the happy-go-lucky singalong moment – The enjoyment simply never ends, even when the lyrics convey emotions that are far from joyful.
‘Gas Lighting’, for example, is a dark and haunting track that highlights the angry pain of loving someone, while ‘Love No More’ is the more cutting pain of realising you’re in love with someone that doesn’t love you back. It’s the latter that highlights Farrall’s ability to cut to the core, the simplicity of her lyrics hurting more than any clever metaphor ever could as she sings “I still wish you could have been my everything”.
The tone picks up with stand out track, ‘Games’, a two pronged pop-rock piece that juxtaposes unapologetically impassioned lyrics with sonically carefree verses. It flows easily into ‘Knocked for Six’ which, despite its soft and sad verses, soon unfolds into one of the heaviest tracks on the record as the choruses and bridge kick in. Both of these tracks convey anger, disappointment and exhaustion, acting as a perfect pair in the middle of this incredible album.
What comes next is an unexpected surprise in the form of ‘Knight Rider’, a track straight out of an 80s movie, channelling a sound that could easily be mistaken for The Buggles’ ‘Video Killed the Radio Star’. Within the track’s confines, you’ll find complimentary male vocals and a saxophone solo (because why the hell not), and a message of fierce persistence as Farrall repeats that she “don’t wanna be broken no more”.
This is just a mere snippet of everything ‘Bruise’ has to offer, and there won’t be a single track that doesn’t surprise you in some way, whether it be sonically, vocally, or thematically. Closing with what will be the album’s most well known song upon its release, ‘Barbados’, we’re left on a high as the ever wonderful track somehow rings in our ears for hours, and is stuck in our heads for far longer.
YASMIN BROWN