Lizzie McAlpine on Growing "Older (and Wiser)"

Graphic by Maddie Cohen

by maya sien

Lizzie McAlpine has been blessing  our ears with each new album she releases, and she has done it once again with Older (and Wiser)– the deluxe edition of her album Older released back in Aprilwith an additional five new songs. I’ll admit, before this review, I had little experience with McAlpine’s music. I had heard the iconic songs, of course, but I had never given her discography the time it deserved. Listening to Older (and Wiser) gave me a feeling that I hadn’t experienced in a while: vulnerability– something I greatly needed. 

Before getting into the new tracks of Older (and Wiser), I would like to divert some attention to the original work in Older. The album has an incredible flow to it. Not a song feels out of place. From the beginning with “Elevator,” it feels as though McAlpine is inviting you into a story. A story of change, love, loss, and simply growing older. Older really makes you feel in a way not many others do. As I sat down with the music, it didn't feel as if I was listening to a recording in a studio, but rather that McAlpine was sitting right in front of me, guitar in hand, making magic before my very eyes. It all feels so intimate, so lonely and isolating. It's bone-chilling in the most beautiful way. 

I feel the standout when it comes to McAlpine’s music is her lyrics. Yes, the melody and her voice are soothing to the ears, but her words really mean something; she is an artist providing a narrative for the listener. Lines such as “somewhere I lost all my senses, I wish I knew what the end is” (“Older”) come crashing down with emotion in a way that leaves you in awe– everything is so raw, it hurts. The project delves into all of the experiences that come with growing up; getting older, experiences McAlpine has gone through much like you and me, and experiences that are innately human. Songs such as “Drunk, Running” and “Broken Glass” paint vivid, vulnerable images of domestic violence that hurt yet heal the soul, truly demonstrating McAlpine’s innate talent of storytelling. 

Older speaks to me. It’s so beautifully universal; everyone is constantly growing older, constantly experiencing life. Everyone can feel the story McAlpine has to tell.

Now onto the (Wiser) portion of the album. These new tracks perpetuate the themes explored in the original album but expand on them, reaching further depths of emotion–similar to the concept of the title itself. It is the wisdom on top of raw experience. Older (and Wiser) reflects the time McAlpine is at in her career, a point where she can reflect on how much she's grown. McAlpine’s new tracks kick off with a demo (“Method Acting”) giving the opening minutes swaths of vulnerability. It’s raw, almost sacred; as though it is not meant for our eyes, we are merely glimpsing into a life separate from our own. 

This track also kicks off a theme that is highly prominent throughout these collection of songs: performance and awareness of the self. The absolute stand out of these tracks, “Pushing it Down and Praying,” exemplifies the human need to perform and its constraints. Sometimes the performance feels too much, the walls come crumbling down and we simply want to be, to feel. The latter half of the tracks highlight an awareness of how inevitable change is–something Lizzie McAlpine seems to be discovering within this album. 

Overall, this addition to the album truly makes the story wiser. This experience is one that has truly changed me and though I did not know much of Lizzie McAlpine before, I am so unbelievably thankful for this. Change is a daunting idea, growing older is inevitable but alongside all the pain that comes with it is the beautiful experience of life– an experience McAlpine has turned into art. This album has helped me process that I am now Older (and Wiser).