Madison Beer’s Silence Between Songs: An Album Review
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Madison Beer has quickly become one of the it-girls of this generation, and there is no question as to why. The girl is drop-dead gorgeous, has good style, and is known to be very gracious to her supporters. With singles being scattered and released since 2013, her albums prior to Silence between Songs were As She Pleases in 2018 and Life Support in 2021. Her newest album, released on Sept 15th, has a very different flavor to it then her past releases, and it interests me when thinking about where her style will go next. This album pulls more on the instrument of her voice rather than the deep bass beat and pop melodies of her previous works. I will highlight 5 of her songs on this album to rate exactly how this release performs in comparison to the others.
“Spinnin”: The opening track of the album. Her voice backs behind the main melody and the only instrument seems to be a guitar and some drums. The ‘ahs’ that start the song make the listener feel as if they are teleporting through a rabbit hole. This song does a good job of personifying that feeling of uncontrollable descent, and the minor notes help add disorientation to the piece. I wish she would highlight her voice more throughout the song. Her range is very good, but we only see the flexibility of it in the bridge. More mixing of this would help draw the listener in more.
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“Sweet Relief”: This song reminds me of pink bubblegum, but in a hot way. It has a consistent beat in the back. I like the backing of her vocals again. I do not really understand why this song comes right after ‘Spinnin’ because they give very different vibes, and it feels like a jump. The chorus is so good, with very catchy lyrics and a nice build up to the middle of the chorus. One of the best songs on the album for sure and definitely underrated.
“Envy the Leaves”: Oh. my. God. This song is a work of art. She takes the voice-backing a step further with her voice acting as a choir behind her. Again, why does this song come right after “Sweet Relief?” They are night and day from each other, and it becomes very disorienting when listening to them in order. I am not sure what she puts in her bridges, but they always eat. I just wish there would be more variations in her regular verses because sometimes they go in the same exact pattern so that it becomes hard to distinguish between them. The best part of this song is for sure the last twenty seconds as the beat drops in perfect harmony with her blended background vocals. The ending leads well into the next track, “17” with a quick beat that picks up from where the previous track ends.
“Dangerous”: This track has a very interesting feeling to it. It feels like Beauty and the Beast but if the Beast ended up being horrible to Belle. It is so sad, and the first two verses sound very similar with the same chord progression. It is not boring, but I again wish that there was a greater variation in how she sings certain words. Her voice sounds absolutely beautiful in the bridge, but it leaves me wishing that she put the same effort into the rest of the song. I feel like she is holding back on us. I don’t necessarily like how the ending fades out with the ‘oos.’ I would have preferred a more dramatic close that would likely make a lasting impression on the listener.
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“Silence Between Songs”: This track that titles the album is actually sort of a disappointment to me. It feels like it could play in a mall or a Kohl’s, which is not the best comment to make. With that being said, although the song is by no means bad, it is not anywhere close to being the best song on the album, and I feel like it should at least be up there if it is the name of the whole album.
All in all, the album is worth a listen, and a lot of her tracks are very beautiful and idyllic in theme. However, some of the chord progressions seem too safe and at times, boring.
Strike Out,
Jaclyn Camp
University of Notre Dame
Editor: Maddie Arruebarrena
