Three years after Faye Webster’s last album release, the artist’s quirky and undeniably magical sound makes a return. Underdressed at the Symphony, Webster’s fifth album released on Mar. 1, stays true to her nonchalant voice paired with ever-creative lyrics, though Webster pushes the envelope further with the addition of emphatic background sounds as she explores a more grunge feel throughout the album.
The album commences with the lovely “Thinking About You”, whose emphasis on drums paired with layers of Webster’s smooth melodies is reminiscent of a combination of the artist’s past works such as “Right Side of My Neck” and “Hurts Me Too”. Listening to this song feels like driving down the coast with your windows down and your hair blowing in the wind without a care in the world. The song’s incorporation of instruments like the triangle and playful yet simple guitar melodies makes for a truly fun and joyful tune.
Carrying the use of guitar though with a more melancholy tone is Webster’s second track, “But Not Kiss”. The artist explores a more grungy feel with suspenseful repeating piano melodies that heighten the grievances of love that Webster eloquently portrays in her quippy lyrics.
Quickly descending back into Webster’s trademark calamity tune, “Wanna Quit All the Time” sounds nearly nautical with a relaxing background of a peaceful yet present sound of the hand drum. This organic sound is quickly contrasted with Webster’s techno-sounding “Feeling Good Today”. The auto-tune-filled vocals in this song paired with a basic guitar tune and the brief presence of an ascending piano chorus brings attention to Webster’s honest lyrics that touch on her struggle with friendships and relationships she has encountered as she seeks self-improvement.
“Lifetime” follows “Feeling Good Today” in a rather seamless transition as Webster continues her honest lyrics that she pairs with a more melancholic sound of slower drums, guitar melodies and a more drawn-out projection of her words. The artist beautifully illustrates her perception of her life by repeating the same chorus throughout the song so as to depict the lengthy and thoughtful way in which she sees her daily existence to be.
Webster once again explores a newly acquired grunge side to her sound in “He Loves Me Yeah!” which puts more emphasis on the base and electric guitar accompanied by simple lyrics that make for a fun song to listen to while dancing around in your room.
Webster continues the album with “Underdressed at the Symphony”, a song which resembles the sound from her past discography the most. With drawn-out instrumentals and a mystical incorporation of symphonic sounds, Webster elevates the song exponentially and ensures that it is bound to be played on repeat by all listeners.
The artist concludes her newest album with the relaxing yet catchy track “Tttttime”. This song incorporates lighter piano melodies, repetitive lyrics and strings chorus that make it the perfect end to an album of thoughtful and playful lyricism and sounds.
Though I anticipated that the album would feature more songs resemblant of Webster’s past tracks on her fourth album, I Know I’m Funny haha, I enjoyed the more grunge feel that was present in this album and adored the theme of symphonies strung throughout the track list. I would rate this album a 4.5 out of 5 stars simply because I would have liked to have more songs as the track list only consisted of ten tracks.
