U.S. Girls’ new album is expansive and vivid but lacks the spunk of prior LPs
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11.03.2020

U.S. Girls’ new album is expansive and vivid but lacks the spunk of prior LPs

Words By Jonathon Reynoso

A serene listen.

On this latest LP, U.S. Girls’ singer and songwriter Meg Remy is backed by 20 session musicians. Orchestral swells rock her songs to the end, with a splash of strings and percussion on tracks like ‘Denise, Don’t Wait’ and ‘Born to Lose’.

The piano is used often throughout the record, with Remy’s voice and the keys the only sounds to be heard. Take ‘Overtime’ for example, a tragic tale of secrecy and addiction. The track was plucked from her 2013 EP Free Advice Column, only here it’s reworked and cleaned up. “Every time I see your grave, I can’t help but think/How I didn’t know that you only drank/The overtime,” Remy croons.

Much of Heavy Light is genuinely elegant thanks to a focus on strings, piano and percussion. Remy’s reflective tales are elevated by these instrumentals, but the album is missing some of the spunk the band have had on previous records. Luckily, tracks like ‘4 American Dollars’ or ‘And Yet It Moves / Y Se Mueve’ have the spice that many of the others lack.

Overall, Heavy Light finds U.S. Girls still approaching pop and indie with their own creative path. This project began as just Remy at home with a mic. Now, a cast of musicians help bring her visions to life – with beautiful results.

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