Album Review | Lauren Tate | Songs For Sad Girls

27/10/19

Words | Aleksandra Brzezicka

Lauren Tate aka Hands Off Gretel’s frontrunner and the absolute Trash Queen puts punk aside. This time she guides us through her extracted diary-like, debut solo album, 'Songs For Sad Girls'.

In the times when sad girl genre is endangered by extinction, Tate makes its comeback with an obligatory melodramatic flair. Managing to hunt down her past-teenage self, she carefully looks through its ghostly silhouette. With the eyes of an experienced woman.

She manages to escape clichés and instead of being pitiful, her bluesy alt-pop blend is spiced with hope and the will to fight to be heard. She’s like a fiery version of Lana Del Rey who’s got Tom Waits and Janis Joplin as godparents. Brave in admitting her vulnerability, she faces the rawest, ever-consuming emotions face on, unapologetically dismissing anyone standing in her way.

A poem, 'Mondays Make Me Feel So Awful', is a great intro and pre-taste of topics that the whole album tackles. Lines ‘Just because I’m feminine doesn’t mean I’m not a feminist"; ‘Just because I tell the truth don’t mean I don’t hide most of it" illustrate well the game of contradictions.

'Can’t Keep My Hands Off You' portrays an attempt of escaping a possessive, toxic love and, at the same time, inability to break free. A Whispery, slower one, "What About Kids" opens up a discussion on the gun violence on the example of daughter-father conversation from a child's perspective. Both tracks are rather outstanding.

Though "Miss American Perfect Body" is the one to truly hit home. "I’ve been you, spending the summer hiding in my room"; "Stars like you just belong in the sky at night" lyrics to this beautifully rebellious ode against hurtful standards in society and a shoutout for unity. Tate’s voice takes us straight to heavens.

While "He Wanted More" is a follow up on the route of self-love, in spite of the unrealistic expectations projected on women, in "He Loves Me", the topic of toxic relationship makes its comeback with a full of excuses story of domestic abuse. The cheery tone of the tune interestingly contrasts with quite dramatic lines like "I count the bruises up and down my thigh."

Tate finally stops in the badass bay with "Naturally Born Bad", a groovy prelude to the next one, an absolute banging and the best track, "Bad Egg Blues". Very Amy Winehouse’s vibes with devilish confessional lyrics put together make an exquisite threat-like prophecy. You haven’t seen anything yet, Tate’s warning and takes us on the walk on the wild side.

"Rock N Roll Radio" tells a stereotypical story of a teenage girl falling for thirty-something married man. The “couple” is controversial, the tune not really. It doesn’t excite but I don’t mind.

Line "I’m stuck between want I want and want I need" from Monsters, big emotional-bullet ballad, is a great summary of the previous issues that ultimately lead to the heart of the struggle. We knew what to do all along, the question is whether we want to or not.

Starting with an actual recording of crying, 'How Fucking Dare You', bitterly bites with accusations and dares to express the deepest disappointment. It’s an externalisation of the feeling of being used and cheated on. An absolute after-break up track.

'Oh Na Na Na (I Want The World)', tears apart still-fresh wounds and feeds on the fear of loss. Probably the saddest song of them all, yet cathartic. It makes you believe that hope must be sustained. You do deserve all the good things to come.

After everything we’ve been through, everything we fought for, we’re back in Tate’s room. "I think I need my teddy bear to put my soul back to life"; "Cause I don’t fit in the world out there" she cries, longing for that warming flame of unawareness and innocence associated only with the childhood. Pure melancholy.

The final track ends with 13 seconds of silence. The silence to digest the sadness we’ve been left with. And it’s perfectly fine. Lauren Tate is the queen of outcasts who can sob along with her, looking at the starry sky. Gathering powers. Because when she strikes, she’s unstoppable. Godspeed.

Songs for Sad Girls is self-produced, recorded and designed solo project followed by a series of videos. It’s available on all major streaming platforms and Lauren Tate’s social media.

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