GIRL IN RED: ‘IF I COULD MAKE IT GO QUIET’ ALBUM REVIEW

The long-awaited debut album offers a candid depiction of Marie’s life.

Marie Ulven, the Norweigan singer-songwriter behind girl in red, has spent the last few years curating her brand of authentic indie-pop, drawing particular attention for her unapologetic queerness. Now, with the release of her debut full-length album, ‘if i could make it go quiet’, she has established her rightful place in the pop world. 

In many ways it’s the album you would expect: Marie’s celestial vocals are paired with the same brutally honest lyrics, ripped straight from the pages of her diary. The brooding, lo-fi energy is also consistent as the album takes its time over each song. The queen of bedroom pop has certainly evolved from the days of her last EP, though; this record takes on a greater production, including a FINNEAS feature on its single ‘Serotonin’, and has more bite to it than her previous work. There’s a rhythmic heartbeat that threads its way throughout, pulling each song together into a coherent exploration of love, connection, and mental health.

‘Serotonin’ kicks the whole thing off with a heady, confessional account of Marie’s mental health struggles, before delving into the accusatory tirade of ‘Did You Come?’. The rest of the album bounces between the upbeat and the understated: ‘You Stupid Bitch’ is easy to imagine live with its rowdy choruses, while ‘Apartment 402’ offers a wandering, more introspective take. It ends with an answer to its title; ‘it would feel like this’ which is an instrumental reflection of the album as a whole, perfectly resolving its angst with its yearning.

Listen to ‘if I could make it go quiet’ here: