Ingrid Andress has fast become one of the artists to watch, not just in the country music genre, but in music generally. Her debut album ‘Lady Like’ – out today – is a result of years as a songwriter. Here, we review the album and reveal our standout tracks.
Ingrid Andress has been one of our breakout artists of the past year, carving her own path in the genre that seems to elegantly bridge the gap between country and pop. Hailing from Denver, Colorado, Andress made her name in the industry penning a number of pop songs, including ‘Girls’ by Charli XCX. Last year, she stepped out as an artist in her own right with the release of her debut single ‘Lady Like’ – surprisingly naming country music as her home – she has taken much of the pop sensibilities through into her debut record that manages to straddle the bridge between country and pop. Andress promised the record would embody her own brand of ’emo-country’ and she wasn’t wrong. The album is poised and reads as a guide to modern dating, couched in clever, lyrical songwriting.
The most obvious criticism? We want more. The album is short, as far as albums go, consisting of only eight tracks, with only three unreleased tracks – meaning that a lot of her ardent fans who have already streamed her tracks on repeat, will be disappointed by the record in its lack of new material. Still, when taken as a body of work apart from this, the result is sublime.
Swelling violins open the record with a touch of flamenco vintage-sounding production for ‘Bad Advice.’ Andress opens the record tripping easily over her complex and nuanced lyrics. Surprisingly, this is the most ‘country’ sounding song on the album, Ingrid croons about not being able to move on from an ex ‘I’m no closer to gettin’ over you / No closer to heartache being through’ but indulging in self-destructive behaviour instead ‘I’m gettin’ good at takin’ bad advice.’ Andress’ distinctive vocal soars in this first number, introducing you to her stellar, clever and thoughtful songwriting for which she gained fame. The magic of Andress’ songwriting is in turning the most relatable, smaller moments into clever phrasing and lyricism, ‘Straight to aisle five, got a bottle of Merlot,’ perhaps it was her baptism in pop, but her ability to turn these smaller moments into poetry is mesmerising.
From tales of heartache, Andress next turns to the next modern dating question in ‘Both and ‘We’re Not Friends’ – are we friends or something more? ‘Both’ is the gentler version of the two, replete with singing guitar solos, reminding a potential lover to stop playing with her emotions, ‘Why do you text me saying you miss me? / Staying at my place, it’s kind of confusing, / You’re blurring the lines, you’re playing two sides / Just make up your mind.’ ‘We’re Not Friends’ takes it a step further, with Andress telling her lover that they are in fact a couple and not friends – taking the more empowering approach of the two – ‘We’ve been lying to ourselves, acting like we’re something else..friend’s don’t say the things we do.’ Of the two, ‘Both’ is definitely the stronger song, where Andress vocal is really allowed to soar to its full potential, and will appeal to many a millennial in its relatability.
‘The Stranger’ is definitively the ‘love song’ of the record, where Andress sings of wanting to go back to the magical beginning of a relationship, wishing her and her lover could be strangers again to experience that. ‘Sometimes I wish I didn’t know you at all, so we could do it all over.’ This is the most gut-wrenchingly beautiful moment of the record and Andress’ strongest vocal. Having heard the song live, the production really amps up the track to ‘magnificent’ territory – a stunning moment that is followed by another new track ‘Anything But Love.’ Andress wishes in this track about wanting to feel anything but love toward an ex lover, but realising that that is her overriding emotion toward them. It is one of the cleverest lyrical moments on the record and undoubtedly the ‘poppiest’ sounding track on the album, with its reverb-tinged backing track. Undoubtedly, later track ‘Life of the Party’ could similarly belong on a pop record.
The piano ballad ‘More Hearts than Mine’ really broke Andress into the public consciousness, with its relatable take on introducing a partner to her family for the first time. ‘If I bring you home to momma, I guess I’d better warn ya / She falls in love a little faster than I do.’ It is a chapter in modern dating that hasn’t been much touched on in lyrics, and so feels incredibly refreshing and powerful.
The record rounds out with title and debut track ‘Lady Like.’ Given that it has the highest energy of any track on the record, it seems a curious choice to end on, however Andress is anything but ‘normal’ and the quirk of this ordering seems fitting. From my perspective, this record is a flawless display of poised artistry and songwriting, Andress has a vision for her music and she has brought that to fruition. This record though is not for the country purists out there, for it would be very easy to call this a pop album. This aside, she is one of the ‘new artists’ I have been genuinely excited about in recent years – when our comment is ‘we want more’ that’s got to be a good thing right?
Editor’s Picks
More Hearts Than Mine
Both
The Stranger
