It’s a line that seems to signify a slight tonal shift in McAlpine’s emotionally weighty singer-songwriter pop. Whilst her first two albums looked back at young love with various strengths of rose-tinted glasses (deserved viral hit Ceilings being the best example), Older looks at a deeper melancholy – the realisation that we are all growing old and childhood is gone for good. “Mom’s getting older, I’m wanting it back,” she reflects with touching simplicity and her demand to “know what the end is,” rings true with the sudden understanding that there was a final time all of us lost ourselves in untroubled childhood adventures.
Older looks at a deeper melancholy – the realisation that we are all growing old and childhood is gone for good
That said, even for a quiet, mostly acoustic artist like McAlpine, Older makes for a curiously uneventful lead single. The mellow piano and Broadway-esque harmonies are pleasant, but there’s none of the drama of Ceilings’ finale or even much of a memorable chorus to speak of. McAlpine has said that this new album is a deliberate departure from the full-band, heavily produced tracks of 2022’s Five Seconds Flat. Wanting to take things back to her songwriting roots is admirable, but Older ditches the synthy grit of Erase Me and the anthemic indie rock of All My Ghosts and adds nothing in its place.
“This album is a culmination of my growth, showcasing the rawest and most honest version of me,” McAlpine wrote in Older’s press release. Raw and honest Older certainly is, but whether it is the finest example of McAlpine’s songwriting talents to date is a much harder sell.