Faye Webster has been turning heads in the indie scene for a few years now and I’m finally getting around to hearing a full record of hers. You may know some of her bigger tracks from TikTok like “I Know You” or “Right Side of My Neck,” both capturing that honeymoon phase feeling of a relationship so well.
On this new album, Webster is still clinging to what ticks, but maybe with a few more orchestral bits, guest appearances and warbly vocals.
“Underdressed” starts out relatively strong with “Thinking About You” and the lofty single “But Not Kiss.” Both do a great job at pulling you into Webster’s world of lo-fi indie pop with a slight country twang. The next two tracks are easily some of my favorites on the record. “Wanna Quit All the Time” probably pulls off this soft rock sound the best with plucky electric guitar motifs throughout as well as some introspective, melancholic lyrics. Then “Lego Ring” veers off completely in the best way with more bombastic production, light-hearted lyrics and a Lil Yachty feature of all people that works way better than it has any right to. His wobbly, distinct vocal harmonies contrast perfectly with Webster’s. Then if Yachty wasn’t enough, the next track “Feeling Good Today” serves as an auto-tune heavy interlude moment that I can’t help but love. I get if it’s pretty polarizing to some fans, but I can’t help but smile while listening to Webster sing this optimistically through a vocoder.
Getting into the latter half of the album is when things start to get a bit stale. I like some of the ideas on “Lifetime” and “eBay Purchase History” but I also tend to get a bit tired of them after the first 2 minutes or so. “He Loves Me Yeah!” is a nice change of pace and I like how she’s not taking herself too seriously on it. It’s just a cute and fun song, what else do you need? Then the title track is when these symphonic (no pun intended) elements really start to take shape and bring out the best in Webster’s style and vibe. I wish more of the tracks had as grand of production as this one, but I at least hope she revisits these sounds on future records too. The closer “Tttttime” is another quaint and cute moment that ties up the record nicely. Nothing too crazy, but it also doesn’t need to be either.
Overall, my first full-length venture with Faye Webster was an enjoyable one. I’m looking forward to what she has next and to go back and see what I missed in her ever-expanding catalog. At least I know I won’t be underdressed.
My rating: 7.6/10
