Madison Beer lays her soul bare in ‘Silence Between Songs.’ Long are the days that the 24-year-old would cover famous hits on her YouTube channel, as now she is creating some of her very own. Beer’s latest effort follows her memoir The Half of It, as she showcases the inner workings of her brain to a larger audience. Yet, her second album also differs from her debut ‘Life Support,’ as it is a little more slow-paced, and switches most of her dance rhythms into theatrical ballads.
As one of the best technical vocalists out there, Madison Beer truly amplifies her strengths. In many of the tracks, she lets out an occasional run. It’s never too much. Always there in the background. This is to make sure that it doesn’t overpower any of the other structures applied to her carefully crafted compositions. The magically soft harmonies, however, seem to have more of an actual purpose. In ‘At Your Worst,’ she uses the repetitive use of the harmonies to let out different versions of herself grasping the reality that is being focused on.
In all of her glory, she also occasionally dials it down. ‘Envy the Leaves’ sees the singer use her soothing voice, yet it isn’t used at its full-capacity. Therefore, making it all the better. This kind of Snow White-reminiscent timbre often reappears, which gives off an Old-Hollywood-esque quality to the record.
‘Silence Between Songs’ allows Beer to enter a new phase of her career. No longer afraid of how the media will betray her, albeit very vulnerable at that, she lets every worry go. “All the time I never got to sit / And dream away the hours,” the young star woefully sings in ‘17,’ as the instrumentals lead you in a playful direction while the lyrics focus on her sad story. This is what her second record excels at – perfectly balanced pop ballads. Some of them almost make it impossible not to wish that camp-2010s TV hit Glee was still around. Because yes, Lea Michele’s Rachel Berry would’ve done a killer rendition of ‘Dangerous’ as she would look Cory Monteith’s Finn Hudson right in the eyes as she’d powerfully belt out, “Guess I make love too dangerous.”
Ever so raw and delicate, Madison Beer ends her second coming with ‘King of Everything.’ A track that’s not just the perfect way to capture the entire album – it also allows the listener to go away with a feeling of hopefulness through the sadness. It shows that although not everything is going well for the famous artist, there’s an optimism that eventually all will get better. Madison Beer gives her fans a glimpse into her life as she subtly touches on heartbreak, fraught relationships, self-love/hatred, and her complicated history with fame on ‘Silence Between Songs.’ A record with a message that is so authentically her that almost has no other way but to convey a bright but somewhat melancholic future.
7/10
Words: Lauren deHollogne
