Alice Phoebe Lou - Shelter Review
While stepping up the production value a notch or two, this album is vulnerable and introspective, the gentle soft rock giving an insight into Alice Phoebe Lou’s relationships, past and present, and her relationship with them and herself.
A year and a half between releases is, by most normal metrics, not an awfully long time. But for Alice Phoebe Lou, 2022 was the first calendar year during which she hadn’t even released a single since 2015, making this almost feel like a return from a hiatus. While it would be an exaggeration to describe the South African singer-songwriter as supremely prolific, there has been a certain steadiness to her releases. “Shelter”, her new LP released earlier this month, then, feels almost like a new chapter, leaving some of her more lo-fi aesthetics behind for a grander, lusher sound.
Compared to her work up to this point, this album feels a little more ambitious and deliberate, with a running narrative throughout the album and more attention paid to the production. This can be heard from minute one, with the opener “Angel”, a kind of happy-sad love song about falling in love, but being scared from having trust broken in the past. The instrumentation on this track is beautifully layered, as it introduces the central theme of the album: moving on from past mistakes to pursue love in a healthier relationship – and the difficulties that come with that.
“Shelter”, the first single released ahead of the record, is more recognisably Alice Phoebe Lou, led by a guitar riff, and more lo-fi vocals, but again the rhythms and the layering are a bit of a step up. In this song, she sings of a need for self-growth, to be able come out from an armour she’s wearing to be truly vulnerable and feel what others see in her. This idea of self-growth is then developed further in “Open My Door”, where the lyrics focus on trying to regain a sense of comfort for herself, having put others first for too long. Again, this track features some lush instrumentation, and a pretty soft-rock style, but I just wish that the melody was taken in a slightly more interesting direction – it feels like it loses steam with the instrumental interlude.
Another low note for me is the transition into “Lose My Head”, which feels a little jarring in terms of pacing. Otherwise though, I’m a big fan of this track, it has an interesting structure and there are some interesting production choices made, particularly on the back end of the song. Considering that it only lasts for two and a half minutes, it’s an impressive feat for it to feel so multifaceted.
“Lately”, for me, is the real stand-out track on this album. It features what I feel is Alice Phoebe Lou’s best vocal performance on the album, sounding soothing while also being full of emotion. The instrumentation is gently layered, each instrument complementing the others perfectly while leaving her voice space to shine. The track sees her talking to a love interest, trying to open up more but needing them to do the same. It’s a slower song, but the momentum doesn’t falter at all here.
“Halo” is a little more stripped back, with more of a classic singer-songwriter vibe to it, but there is a subtle depth to the instrumentation. Lyrically, it takes a bit of a step back from the central themes of the record, though it’s still just as personal and introspective. I think the line “I thought I was escaping my reality, but I took it along with me” is probably my favourite from the whole record.
On the last stretch of the album, with “Shine” and “Hammer”, I think the album takes a small dip. I think that Shelter’s sound, as a whole, can be compared to Angel Olsen’s recent output, but most of the tracks have enough of their own personality to stand on their own, but I’m less sure that the same can be said for these two. Nonetheless, they’re both still pretty songs, there’s just less to say about them.
The closer “My Girl” has a slightly folkier style, stripped back to just guitar and vocals for the first time on the album, and sounds almost like a lullaby. To me, it reads as her giving herself a sort of soft pep talk as she tries to set herself on a path that she’s happier with. The instrumental on the outro of the song is really beautiful, with a little key and tempo change, ending the track, and the album, on a slightly happier note.
Featuring only eight tracks and a runtime of just 30 minutes, “Shelter” is a short but sweet album, with a fairly tight narrative and no space for any filler. Its soft rock is well rounded, with elements of indie pop and singer-songwriter styles to keep it fresh, but the smooth, beautifully mixed production allows it to sound consistent too. This is definitely a more serious record, the cheekiness of a song like “Dirty Mouth” would feel out of place here, but Alice Phoebe Lou is still able to put some personality into these songs.
