Barrett opens 'AFTERCARE' with a haunting, dream-like soundscape in the title track, which is an atmospheric introduction that settles you into her new world of love, sex, and pain. The draped curtains unfurled, Barrett settles into the crevices of her heart with ‘HEARTBEAT’ asking her lover to “kiss the pink back in my lips,” which would seem romantic if not for the hint of sadness trickling in her ethereal voice against an electronic beat. Barrett is joined by phenomenal talent in two tracks; she soaks in the glitz and dirty glamour of the club with Tommy Genesis in ‘DISCO’ and expounds on the wild nature of love with Artemas in ‘MUSTANG BABY’, a song reminiscent of Born To Die-era Lana Del Rey which is not surprising considering Barrett performed earlier this year with the sensational singer.
But it would be wrong to dismiss Barrett as a mere echo or copy of other, more well-known alt-pop singers. She is not afraid to be vulnerable in an intimate level as she carves her own candle in the harrowing darkness confirming “there’s beauty in the pain” in ‘STAY ALIVE’, and confronts the conflict of loving someone who is hurt themselves in ‘EDWARD SCISSORHANDS’, softly admitting “it breaks my heart / To leave you with your scars / Fixing you would just break me.” Here, she entwines pain and love with knife-sharp lyrics – something she repeats in ‘RUSSIAN ROULETTE’, a ballad floating amongst symphonies intended to sting the heart. It feels sparse yet complete at the same time.
Notably, Barrett does not shy away from experimentation in both genre and composition. The stark contrast between the gritty, rock-pop ‘PORNSTAR’ and the subtle drum and strings beat of ‘GLITTER AND VIOLENCE’ (in which she presents the dark underbelly of sex work, very Anora-esque) demonstrates the entire spectrum of intimacy. The transitions between the tracks ensures the songs flow into each other which encapsulates the cinematic experience and reminded me of the transitions in Melanie Martinez’s third studio album, 'PORTALS' – fitting considering both Martinez and Barrett worked with producer CJ Baran on their respective albums.
In an interview with the magazine Women In Pop, Barrett stated “I'm not a sexual person at all, so it was really healing for me to write about something that was so taboo,” and that is what makes the album more tender: her brutal honesty about the vulnerabilities of sexual intimacy in the wake of previous hurts and traumas is comforting, as well as endorsing her own self-empowerment and establishing freedom from being in the male gaze. The result is beautiful and creates an abundant album, one that is compelling, mature, and fun.