QWave Staff Song Pick: Lizzy McAlpine’s ‘erase me’
September 29 2023 - Written by Joelle Peresin
Once in a while, an artist can write music you connect with so personally that it seems they captured your innermost thoughts and feelings and poured it all into their work. For me, this artist is Lizzy McAlpine.
Her forthright and candid lyrics come from a place of authenticity. She explains in interviews that her songs are all based on her own life, and she doesn’t know how to write anything that does not come from personal experience. This type of vulnerability can be scary, but McAlpine bravely and succinctly channels complex feelings of love, heartbreak, grief, and growing pains into her honest lyricism. According to McAlpine, writing music is a form of processing.
“I have to write about a feeling until I understand it”
McAlpine live in Paris at La Maroquinerie, November 2022 (Credit: EddyLlrg)
McAlpine took a leap of faith in 2020 by leaving her schooling at Berklee College to focus on creating and releasing her own music. Since then, her success has skyrocketed, including a garnering of hundreds of millions of listeners, her viral song “ceilings” hitting number 54 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, and a recent signing with RCA Records.
Blending elements of folk, pop, rock, and alternative music, McAlpine works hard to create a unique sound, which shines through in both the music itself and her production choices. This is highlighted in one of my personal favourites from her sophomore album ‘Five Seconds Flat’, “erase me”. If you haven’t checked out this song, I highly recommend you listen to it now (with headphones)!
McAlpine and Collier (Credit: Mogli Maureal)
This song features another of my most favourite artists, certified musical genius Jacob Collier. Interestingly, Collier isn’t featured on his own verse. Instead, he layers harmonies throughout the song, similarly to how Collier created the backup vocals for the outro of “Good Days” by SZA. One of Collier’s specialities is choosing unique jazz-inspired harmonies that can evoke the emotions the song is portraying, and the thick vocal pads that fill out “erase me” are no exception.
The lyrics of “erase me” capture the complicated feelings that the aftermath of a breakup can bring. The song uses seventh and ninth chords uncommon in a lot of pop songs as well as some creative melodic choices to contribute to the uneasy vibe that the lyrics emulate.
“I’ve said too much,
In and out of wanting us,
Now you’re fading
And I wonder who will erase me?”
One of my favourite aspects of this piece is the build, beginning with rhythmic guitar and a pulsing ambience which gradually lead to a drum and synth bass-filled climax. The song then uses one of my favourite techniques - a quiet and subdued first half of a chorus, which swells to a filled-out sound, then reaches a sudden dropout of everything except the vocals, making you feel like you’re suspended in midair. The subdued ending perfectly brings the song full circle, making this a well-rounded piece with a structure that is immensely satisfying.
Having the privilege of watching her in concert twice, I can confirm Lizzy’s consistency in her vocals between recordings and live performances is truly top-notch. You’ll see what I mean if you check out her live acoustic rendition of ‘erase me’.
If you couldn’t tell already from my raving in this article, I highly recommend you check out McAlpine’s music, especially her album ‘Five Seconds Flat’ - maybe you’ll feel that same connection to her writing as I did, and if not, at least you can jam out to the sick production!
Check out ‘Five Seconds Flat’ and Lizzy’s other work using the links below:
