Lizzy McAlpine’s Rebrand in five seconds flat
Graphic by Chloe Williams
By Julia Norkus
Like many artists this year, Lizzy McAlpine (she/her) is redefining her sound on her latest album five seconds flat, released on April 8, 2022.
McAlpine’s debut album Give Me a Minute (2020) introduced the soft, acoustic sound that began to define her as an artist. With songs like “Means Something” and “Apple Pie,” gentleness and love wove in and out of McAlpine’s poetic lyrics and languid strums.
On her new record five seconds flat, McAlpine has crafted a cathartic redefinition of the sound that she became known for, breaking out beyond the idea of what listeners thought she was capable of. While listening to the album, the listener can notice a timeline of release followed by the healing. It opens with songs that talk about heartbreak, ones that articulate the hurt, the inability to release a person, and overall, love that has nowhere to go.
The opening track “doomsday” opens with the lines, “Pull the plug in September/I don’t wanna die in June,” signifying the resistance to ending a doomed relationship. It’s about the idea of not having any control over what happens when the relationship ends, just hoping that it doesn’t destroy you when it does. In the chorus she sings, “But you’re such a narcissist/You’ll probably do it next week,” to further emphasize the toxic relationship they have, and the challenge in releasing this person.
Track four titled “called you again” shares the difficulty that comes with letting someone else go, no matter how they treated you. The lyrics and the musical accompaniment showcase the overthinking and anxiety that come with releasing this person; the ups and downs that come with it are made clear by the sweeping instrumentals that build as the thoughts grow louder and stronger. Lyrics like, “Did I call you again?/I think that I was lonely,” express this subconscious need for the person you’re trying to release. It shows the struggle of letting go and wanting to move forward, but the difficulty of feeling a draw to the person you once loved.
The transition in the album from a storyline of heartbreak to the recovery period begins with “ceilings.” It’s heartbreaking in both musicality and lyrics, carrying the heavy weight of attempting to move forward from heartbreak while still carrying the fear and pain. The listener can almost feel that weight while listening, growing heavier as the song builds from simple acoustic guitar to heavy picking on other string instruments.The back and forth between fear and hope is made obvious with lines like, “My shoes are now full of water/Lovely to be rained on with you/It’s kinda cute but it’s so short,” which allows for the beauty of a moment to be acknowledged, but feeling the impending doom of an end of a relationship as that fear of being hurt again sits in the back of one’s mind, overshadowing the magic and joy of simple moments that many would see as beautiful and harmless.
“chemtrails” and “orange show speedway” wrap up the healing journey that the album takes the listener on. “chemtrails” acknowledges the unpredictability of growth, of making changes and holding on to positive memories of someone who was formerly an important part of one’s life, whether that be from a romantic relationship or from a familial perspective. McAlpine conveys the gentle nature of this reminiscing with standalone piano accompaniment and lyrics like, “I moved out and I made some new friends/Sometimes when I shout, it feels like no one hears it,” which shows the changes being made without this person around to see them.
“orange show speedway” closes out the album with a positive outlook on the future and an element of nostalgia. “My best friends are with me and I feel okay/The last time I was here I was eighteen,” allowing for the expression of coming to terms with the past without the gaze of fear or heartbreak, but with joy and hope. The lyrics acknowledge memories of the past and the transformations that have been made both in Lizzy’s life and the world around her, with the chorus saying, “I had it all at the Orange Show Speedway/Or someplace like that, it all looks the same/Everything changes, what a shame.” It’s a moment of nostalgia, of longing for what you used to have, but know you can never have again. The Orange Show Speedway is a race track in San Bernardino, California, one that holds events and fireworks shows, that McAlpine mentions at the end of the song with a voice memo filled with wonder and excitement about the feeling of presence in that moment. Once again, after a major period of personal growth, your body has outgrown what it used to accept and tolerate— forcing you to seek out the better, the happier, and the healthier.
Lizzy McAlpine is honing her craft in five seconds flat, outgrowing her previously established acoustic shell and layering her songs with a new level of emotional depth. This record incorporates a storyline of love and heartbreak with instrumentals that convey the story with heavy plucking of strings, crescendos and staccatoed strums, and exposes a new side to McAlpine’s music— one that shows more than the joy and brightness of love. It’s a reminder that even though it’s terrifying, it’s possible to come out stronger on the other side.