Lennon Fitzgerald Delivers A Gorgeous and Honest record
A new release from Lennon Fitzgerald delivers a soiree of cinematic and vast contemporary pop songs that come across as very personal but also have layers to them that build character and personality, which is something you end up getting very attached to.
The Before What Comes Next (Echoes and Edits) is somewhat of a compilation of songs that are changed, re-imagined, or edited, or so it would seem. These songs definitely showcase a lot of that personality because lyrically, these songs can be very honest to the point where you completely understand and relate to them right from the start.
The album starts with "It's My Life - Alternate Version", which is a song that introduces you to the record well because it starts to give you that sense of honesty and authenticity with the lyrics, and also gives you an idea of that expansive underbelly that the songs deliver as well.
As I mentioned before, there's a great vastness in the undertone of these tracks, and it helps create this beautiful and almost dream-like atmosphere that a lot of the record ends up boasting.
Having said that, there are quite a few surprises around the corners, but a lot of these songs follow that cinematic backbone and feel like they came from someplace real.
Songs like "Shower" give off a little bit more of a harder, or I should say, edgier feel with guitar and drums that hit hard. There's still that robust honesty and character flowing through the veins of this track right from the very first line, however, it just hits a little differently. So you do get elements of rock, pop, dream pop, and even alternative pop throughout the course of this album.
Listening to only one or two tracks from this record may give you a little idea of what you might expect; however, it will not give you anywhere near the full spectrum of what the album has to offer as a whole. This is important because there are a lot of layers going on throughout this record, and it's best heard from beginning to end in one shot.
These songs have strange ways of interconnecting, even though I think it is a record put together with different versions of songs that were previously released or freshly released and reimagined.
This is an album that you put on headphones for. Listening to this record with headphones on lets you escape into all of these stories and songs. There's so much Persona flowing through this record that you end up getting caught up in everything.
Nothing about this record is really over the top. It's all perfectly balanced, but you do get attached to everything as it unfolds. If you listen to the record from start to finish, the songs almost feel like chapters in Lennon's life, and I love that aspect about the record because that's part of how it is so connective.
The songs have synth pads that flow through the ethers of the tracks, robust guitars, and beautiful, flowy vocals that not only deliver that honesty but do it in a way that feels genuine.
You can hear a slew of influences behind this record, and I think it's amazing how she put all of this together and put her stamp on it.
These are beautiful songs that express a lot and can be very emotionally driven, so perhaps some of these songs were actually cathartic for Lennon to write and release.
I'm not sure of that, of course, but it certainly feels that way when you listen to the lyrics.
There is plenty of inner thought that comes spilling out for everyone to soak in, and I find that refreshing.
There's a certain level of vulnerability throughout this record, and I think that takes bravery, to be honest.
Being able to sing and write music about so many personal attributes is intense at times, and it feels like it might have been therapeutic for her to pull it together and finally bring it into the world for others to be a part of.
I certainly loved being a part of this record and found myself infatuated and the Lord by the performances and songwriting across the board
This is a record that you grab onto and drift alongside, eventually getting washed away with the entire soundscape of it as well.
An absolutely beautiful experience, definitely. Put on some headphones and listen to this record as soon as you can.
See how this one affects you.
