U.S. Girls

She had definitely fallen off my radar; this is the first I had heard of the new album.

I saw her live in NYC in February 2020, the last show I saw pre-quarantine. So now I unfortunately associate her (and Heavy Light in particular) with that early-COVID sense of pre-apocalyptic anxiety. I thought the critical backlash to that album was pretty harsh, so I've got high hopes for this one. Only two tracks in right now--Toto OTM re: opener.

Also re: opener, from this track-by-track interview https://www.stereogum.com/2214480/us-girls-bless-this-mess-track-by-track/interviews/footnotes-interview/:

You said that this song is about the act of creation? Tell me why this one kicks off the album.

MEG REMY: Because of how it sounds, how it starts. It hits. As they say, “It slaps.” An instant “Oh, shit.” Thematically, the song’s really all over the place. I was initially writing it in my mind as a duet. I really wanted to do a duet with Julian Casablancas, which obviously didn’t happen. Then there was a brief moment where it was going to maybe be a duet with Donald Fagen. That didn’t happen either — someone got my hopes very up.

Get Don for the remix!!

If Holy Ghost and Thundercat can get Michael Mcdonald surely so can she

Feel like Heavy Light showcased most of their worst impulses (or at least the things I enjoyed least about their previous work)... to the extent that it made me question my love for Half Free and In a Poem (which already had some ill-advised clunkers to go with the VERY high highs).

Should I listen to this?

early indications appear to be that this has a couple of bangers and a bunch more half-baked stuff, will listen (no matter how cringe she gets, Half Free will always be a masterpiece)

I liked “Pump” the best on first listen.

listening now. at least so far i can say it has a better track than anything on heavy light (the second). however it also has a worse track than anything on it (the third). nice to give yourself an out by calling it a mess in the title lol

yeah this isn't very good

It's about as uneven as Heavy Light was for me. The playlist I just made with the best tracks from both is a pretty decent album though!

https://i.imgur.com/jAAMOW3.jpg