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‘I Can’t Let Go’ Exemplifies Suki Waterhouse’s Lustful Sound as an Artist

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Suki Waterhouse’s debut album, “I Can’t Let Go,” is an awe-inspiring, cathartic set of songs that combines elements of intimacy and fervently contemplates the journey of love and lust. Released on May 6, this 10-track collection serves as hazy longing for independence and freedom whilst in a relationship that is entirely built on infatuation. Introducing the world to an entirely new and raw version of herself through her music, Waterhouse strays away from being known as an English model and actress, divulging to fans her raspy musical tone, further portraying herself as someone that is multi-talented. 

The opening track, “Moves,” which was released as a single last October alongside the album’s fifth track “My Mind,” fully accentuates the singer’s moody tone. The first verse introduces the song as a mellow and euphonious piece before shifting to a more sonorous pitch. By the time the chorus hits, Waterhouse is accompanied by thunderous drumming, enhancing the raspy-nature of her voice as well as the singer’s indie sounding melody. When singing the pre-chorus, “No one likes to lose / Know that I got this,” her pitch reaches scratchy cacophonic pleasure, intensifying the song’s overarching themes of yearning for spontaneous love while simultaneously setting up the motif for the rest of the album. 

Photo provided by Suki Waterhouse @sukiwaterhouse/Instagram

Containing elements of chaos and destruction, “I Can’t Let Go” sounds and feels as though it was heavily influenced by singer’s Lana Del Rey, Mitski and Fiona Apple, yet with a wild and eccentric twist. Waterhouse utilizes feelings of lustfulness and heartache from past relationships to create an experience that is both intimate and heavenly, with each track being entirely unique. Her authenticity is lucid as she brings a new sound to every song with wildly different chorus’ and emotional depth. 

In an interview with Rolling Stone magazine, Waterhouse noted that the album’s more depressive and vulnerable nature was heavily inspired by her own perception of herself in relationships and how, with the release of “I Can’t Let Go,” she’s felt a huge sense of relief.

“I feel like bad things have to happen to me. I felt trapped in these cycles of destruction and I couldn’t let go of them and I can feel them releasing now … I’m in so much more of a healthy, happier space. So many of these things were little treasures in my mind. It’s like I hoarded all the little things that I wouldn’t be able to touch again and with the record being finished, I’ve been reflected in the image of everything that I faced,” she said. 

The seventh track, “Wild Side,” includes instrumentals that are folk-like and rousing, giving off more of a country-pop feel. This track fully embodies the singer’s experimental tone, surveying the consequences of young love, existing as extremely reminiscent of how a past relationship used to be. As she sings, “If she calls, would you run? Would you run to her?” Waterhouse relays on a lighter vocal weight creating a despairing sensation.  

Photo provided by Suki Waterhouse @sukiwaterhouse/Instagram

Perhaps the most eccentric and presumptuous song is “Melrose Meltdown” — an archaic burning for an old-fashioned love where “Nobody ever breaks up, we just break down.” The corresponding music video is ‘70s-esque with the opening of the video showing the singer in a posh pink satin dress singing in a room amidst vibrant furniture. Directly following, Waterhouse poses in a peculiar diamond and pearl studded polka dot dress with glittery makeup on. Throughout the video, she dances very high-class, draped in luxurious jewelry, with flashing mute colors of red, gold, pink and purple, further mirroring the song’s motif of feeling sad chasing after an expensive and star-strutted lifestyle. 

The album closes with the songs “Slip” and “Blessed,” both of which center on the singer’s own perception of herself. The very essence of these tracks are soulful and ethereal. “Slip” enhances the album’s angelic nature with the combination of both falsetto-like  and more mellow vocals, while “Blessed” includes a concise melody of softness. They are perhaps the singer’s most vulnerable tracks, portraying herself as someone who is broken and longing for love with the hopes of finding happiness by experiencing feelings of intimacy with others. This is experienced in “Slip” through the lyrics, “My mind is broken / Like a season nature skipped,” and in “Blessed” through, “I used to think I really was / A miracle of no remorse.” The rawness of these tracks provides an even greater form of intimacy, offering a greater melodramatic listening experience. 

“I Can’t Let Go’s” debut exemplifies Waterhouse’s alternative-indie sound while pioneering the singer as a full-fledged artist who finds delight amongst love and longing. It is both purifying and honest, as one feels as though they are in the singer’s shoes, reliving moments of personal burning desires. 

McKenzie Boney is an Entertainment Editor. She can be reached at mboney@uci.edu.