Lizzy McAlpine is a singer-songwriter who’s been around in the indie scene since 2018, but has recently blown up on Tiktok and gained many new fans of a wider variety. “ceilings,” the track that has gone viral on social media, is just one of the top-notch songs of McAlpine’s sophomore album five seconds flat There are 13 more songs that should be earning the same praise.
Lizzy McAlpine, originally from Philadelphia, PA, is a 23-year-old musician who is said to have a cross between folk-pop and alternative indie sound. She has been releasing music since 2018 but thanks to TikTok, she is gaining some serious traction. McAlpine currently has over 8 million monthly listeners on Spotify, and over 150 million total streams. “five seconds flat” features heart-wrenching lyrics and beautiful production as it chronologically captures heartbreak and finding a new beginning. I would urge everyone to listen to it in order the first time around, as it truly is a storytelling masterpiece. McAlpine tells a story of love and loss with 14 emotional tracks that are sure to leave listeners’ hearts aching.
Starting off strong, “doomsday” foreshadows the rest of the album in a marvelously melodramatic way. Dreading an impending breakup, McAlpine crones “doomsday is close at hand, I’ll book the marching band”. Creating the song with a beautiful blend of mosaic and minor chords, the bridge brings listeners to the tragedy of the relationship.
“an ego thing” comes in hot as track 2. It’s angsty and gritty, and now realizing the relationship was bound for doom anyway instead of mourning it. “erase me (feat. Jacob Collier)” round out the opening triad with the true feelings of McAlpine coming to light; her identity was erased in the relationship. The obvious difference in production is a way of alluding to this, deviating from her acoustic sound, “erase me” has an addicting electronic-sounding chorus.
McAlpine’s collaboration with Collier is just one of the few amazing collaborations on “five seconds flat.” Laura Elliott, Ben Kessler, and FINNEAS are the other wonderful artists featured, with each track holding notes of their respective sounds. “reckless driving (feat. Ben Kessler)” is scream-in-the-car-worthy, while “weird (feat. Laura Elliott)” and “hate to be lame (feat. FINNEAS)” slow it down and bring in a more vulnerable mood to the album.
“called you again” is relatable for anyone who’s ever thought about texting their ex at 2 am. McAlpine acknowledges that it isn’t a good idea, but it’s too tempting to resist. The song that has brought in many new listeners, “ceilings,” continues this lovesick theme; the songwriting extraordinarily captures imagining what could have been.
Moving onto what I believe are the hidden gems of the album, “all my ghosts,” “what a shame,” and “firearm” are severely underrated.
“all my ghosts” is reminiscent of McAlpine’s first album, balancing the melancholic feel of “five seconds flat” with a more cheerful pop sound. The tune shows her overcoming heartbreak in order to move on to someone new. “what a shame” goes through the motions of wanting someone you can’t have, accompanied by a simple beat that really lets audiences focus on the lyrics. “firearm” is full of escalating rage that is finally unleashed after a big build-up. McAlpine takes her listeners through the reality that the love of her partner may not have ever been true. That last sentence was heartbreaking enough, but she wrote a whole song. I highly recommend this track.
The two saddest tracks of the album come one after another, a heavy double hit of “nobody likes a secret” and “chemtrails.” “nobody likes a secret” follows up “firearm” with a sadder version of love being absent from her relationship, the devastating line “nobody likes a secret, and I was always yours.”
Now, moving away from the loss of her romantic relationship, McAlpine moves into the loss of her relationship with her father after he passed. “chemtrails” is so deeply moving, retelling what it was like to grow up without her dad. It’s especially shattering as the final verse rings out and a voice memo of her father begins to play, where he is heard telling McAlpine to “say goodnight.”
To end the album, McAlpine has the delightfully wistful “orange show speedway.” five seconds flat has been all about the feeling of loss and death, but this closing track is bursting with life. Love is something that has the potential to “kill you in five seconds flat,” but McAlpine now understands that this shouldn’t stop her from chasing after the possibility of new companionship. By track 14, McAlpine has acknowledged that the possibility of heartbreak will always be present, and that love is a risk worth opening your heart for.
Overall, it’s truly difficult for me to find any flaws in the album at all. McAlpine used her incredible songwriting and voice to create the near-perfect work of “five seconds flat” and if you’ve read this entire article then please please please give it a listen (now!)