The highly anticipated fifth album from Faye Webster, “Undressed at the Symphony” released on March 1st, offers a relaxing sound amidst the clear need conveyed by Faye throughout the runtime of the album- the need to hide. It is a different approach by Faye to focus less on the lyrical aspect and instead spotlight the instrumentals to beautifully encapsulate this desire to be hidden, and it proves worthwhile as the instrumentals are by far the best aspect of the album.
The album commences with the opening track “Thinking About You” which is a terrific start as the song utilizes repetition in Faye’s lyrical approach to allow her to become a beat extension as the instrumentals craft a comforting sound.
“Wanna Quit All the Time” is another track where Faye makes the decision to let the instrumental do much of the talking. In the song, Faye would go on to describe, “I wanna quit all the time / I think about it all the time / It’s the attention that freaks me out”. This marks her choice of placing the instrumental as the orchestrator is a poetic decision due to it seeming as if she is manifesting the idea of hiding from attention in this period where she deals with a breakup. The track caps off a strong start to the album as the first 3 songs are beautifully captivating and relaxing.
While the album opens with beams of quality, the album struggles to maintain its consistency which is apparent in the songs “Lego Ring” and “Feeling Good Today”. Both tracks suffer from the issue of autotune as the use of both feels out of place in the album. “Lego Ring” features a lifelong friend of Faye, Lil Yachty, where his performance in the song was distracting due to the obvious difference in Faye without autotune and Lil Yachty with autotune. “Feeling Good Today” boasts Faye using autotune in the shortest song so far of the album. The short runtime proves beneficial as the autotune again does not fit and leaves a finished product not worth remembering.
Lastly, we must highlight the title track “Undressed at the Symphony” which is by far the most vulnerable track from Faye in the album. The display of vulnerability illustrates the heartbreak she is feeling that much of her audience can or has once related deeply to. The lines “I’m depriving myself of happiness / Something I’m really good at / I wanna see you again” and “Crying to songs / That you put me on / Are you doing all the same things? / I doubt it” are as poetic as it is heartbreaking for those who have felt what she is describing. The idea of feeling misery for someone who you believe to not feel even a slight level of sadness over losing each other is a catalyst for wanting to run and hide because this is when people feel their weakest. The idea of no one being able to see your struggle if you hide from everyone is the point Faye has become one with.
While the album is by no means perfect, there is plenty of beauty in the project. “Undressed at the Symphony” may not be Faye’s best work, but it is one worth appreciating, nonetheless. The instrumentals are by far the standout here with Faye’s soft vocals doing nothing but complimenting them perfectly in some of the songs. When this album shines, the snow melts, and Faye Webster once again proves just how talented she is. ★★★/☆☆☆☆☆.