Rating: 2.5/5 stars

Singer-songwriter girl in red (“If I Could Make It Go Quiet”) is back after almost three years. The album starts with a song titled “I’m Back.” It basically explains where she has been for the past couple of years with a ballerina-esque piano behind it. It was not too great but it made sense for this to be the opener. 

“I’M DOING IT AGAIN BABY” follows up. This song was very corny. The musical style of girl in red is synonymous with the “sad indie” genre, and this song is not that. This felt forced 

“Too Much” definitely got the album rolling. This is a catchy song and showed that she can do the upbeat pop sound and have it not seem forced. 

The album as a whole is instrumentally-driven and “Phantom Pain” has some of the best instrumentals on the album. There was also a cool effect thrown over girl in red’s voice which was a nice touch. Although the lyrics are not anything to write home about, the instrumentals pull through. 

Track no.5 features Sabrina Carpenter and is titled “You Need Me Now?” This is one of the best tracks on this entire album. The chorus moves and it shows off some of girl in red’s songwriting skills. However, she introduces Carpenter in a strange, fan-girly way, which took me out of the song a bit. Overall, this is one of the strongest songs on “I’M DOING IT AGAIN BABY.”

“A Night To Remember” follows. It starts off slow but it picks up quickly and moves straight into the synthetic sound that is featured throughout the entirety of the album. I wish it had stayed slow, it would have really stood out. 

“Pick Me” was also very good. The chorus hits out of nowhere and it really shows off the unexpected vocal range of girl in red. The lyrics are solid here as well. This felt like a showcase of all of her skills. 

Despite the good, the one thing about this album that just does not sit right with me is how inconsistent the tweaking of her voice is. She has a raw sound, but they insist on making it into this synthy pop sound. It just does not fit her style and it was evident in “Ugly Side.” For as good as some of these songs are, the album could not get more than two good songs in a row. 

“New Love” is a nice bounce-back. The instrumentals carry here as well. Even though her voice is tweaked a bit, it fits the vibe of this specific song. 

The last song on the track is titled “*****.” This was certainly not five stars. This song was really bad. It felt like a mess. For fans of the “old” girl in red that really nailed the aforementioned “sad-indie” genre, this song will make you sad for the wrong reason. This is a horrible way to end an otherwise decent album. Let this be your warning: skip this song for a better overall listening experience. 

Generally, this album had extreme highs and lows, but it is manageable. At just 27 minutes, this album absolutely flew by and was not as much of a drag as it could have been. It was a good album, but a disappointing girl in red album. 

Image by girl in red via YouTube