The new album West End Girl blends anger, sadness, jealousy and self-compassion to create an unforgettable listening experience, which is already her highest charting album in years.
Review
West End Girl
Lily Allen
Rating: ★★★★☆
West End Girl, UK singer Lily Allen’s first album in seven years, had me hooked from the opening note.
Released with only a couple days' notice in late October, it is already Allen’s highest charting album in over a decade, for good reason.
Through retrospective ruminations, the album blends anger, sadness, compassion, jealousy and finally kindness to herself to tell the story of a marriage breakdown in Allen’s familiar lyrical tones.
It is not just a story. West End Girl is biographical, dealing with Allen’s divorce from Stranger Things star David Harbour, after he asked to open up their marriage, then betrayed the agreements of their arrangement.
Allen has said the details included on the album are not all "the gospel truth", and some creative licence has been taken, but listeners journey through her early marital bliss, then to the disloyalty and grief as the relationship disintegrates.
The 14-song album, spanning 44 minutes, offers listeners no relief from the intensity of the breakdown. Employing the alternative pop sound Allen has mastered throughout her career, this feels like her most intimate work yet.
When first scrolling through the tracklist, the upbeat titles like Nonmonogamummy and Pussy Palace stood out to me, but they should not have listeners fooled. The album's joyful vibes last for a full two minutes on the first track, West End Girl, before the music changes without warning. The song closes with the sounds of a video call, and listeners eavesdrop on a one-sided conversation as Allen hears her partner suggest they have an open relationship.
The tone of her response is recognisable to anyone who has been let down or humiliated by a person they love.
The conversation ends with her words: "It makes me really sad but … I’m fine, I just want you to be happy… I love you."
Similarly, the fifth track, Madeline, is punctuated by the voice of a woman (Madeline), who Allen has discovered is having an affair with her husband, reading aloud text messages of comfort, then of confession. It closes with an infuriating, condescending farewell from the mysterious texter: "Love and light, Madeline", perfectly capturing the hollow politeness and quiet cruelty underpinning the album's theme of heartbreak.
The pull of this album lies in the fact that it feels like you’re being let in on a secret. You’re getting the story straight from the source. Heartbreak is horrible, but there is a morbid curiosity and (almost) relief from knowing a Grammy-nominated star like Lily Allen has felt such things.
And while it is an album full of devastation, the music is mostly pretty with romantic tones. It suggests a gentler side to the pop star, something more curious and considered.
Overall, the album feels like your friend's cool older sister helping you through your own heartbreak. You never lose the sense that Allen is simply that - cool.
I grew up with her 2009 album It's Not Me, It's You permanently in my CD player, so this new album feels like a personal gift from Allen to me. It offers the perfect soundtrack as I replace the rage and sweeping generalisations that fuelled my romantic formative years, with a more understanding affection and gentleness to myself.
This album offers a reminder that it is okay to restart; it is okay to expect more for yourself.
Allen points out that in moments of complete earth-shattering heartbreak, it is okay to not immediately feel angry at the person who caused it. It is okay to still love them, but to have the courage to know you deserve better.
This is an album I will undoubtedly play over and over again.
And hopefully we don’t have to wait another seven years for more of Allen’s wise words.
West End Girl is available on all digital music streaming services.
