Lissie is an artist who always feels authentic. Her live gimmick-free performances are all about her voice, the music and connection with the audience. An example of this connection is how Lissie took to social media during the pandemic. She shared her mental health struggles following the sudden loss of her dog, Ned, and the end of her relationship. What do we get when such an honest singer-songwriter pens her most personal album? Welcome to Lissie’s fifth studio album, Carving Canyons.
The beauty of Carving Canyons is the storytelling. From the opener, ‘Unravel’, we are taken on an immersive journey that starts with Lissie “ halfway to California … still wearing all your clothes” as she narrates the emotion of the break-up conversation with her partner. The song is simplistic, with classical guitar accompanying Lissie’s voice which ebbs and flows through the emotions of that last call. As Lissie sings “ I am ready to unravel / I guess I always knew / Love is just a gamble” she continues “ Falling apart / So I can start / Coming back.” Carving Canyons is far more than a break-up album–it is about redemption as much as it is about loss and fragility.
The album bears all the hallmarks of a classic Lissie record. There are the Stevie Nicks-esque vocals; particularly evident on the bombastic pop of Night Moves, which oozes with the influence of Fleetwood Mac as heavy drums and guitar drive the track forward. Also present, are the mix of fragile indie folk ballads and jangly pop that allow us to experience Lissie’s full vocal range.
Evident on this album is the strength of the production and the depth in the quality of songwriting and musical styles. While being Lissie’s most personal album to date, she has gathered together a strong collection of co-writers (most of them women) and also duets on several tracks. This brings a richness of sound that pushes Lissie’s musical boundaries. On weaker tracks, such as ‘Hearts On Fire’, the perfect blend of instruments, carefully placed riffs and distractions make this standard bouncy pop fare, a life-affirming four minutes of joy.
As you’d expect for an album about heartbreak, there are some dark moments and they don’t come much darker than ‘ I Hate This’. This is raw songwriting at its best and one of the stand-out tracks. Lissie opens her emotional core as sings directly to her ex-lover about how she “deserved a kinder goodbye.” We all feel the hurt as she sings the lines, “ And when the world stopped / I went to reach for you / but you were reaching out for somebody else.” The primary instrument in ‘I Hate This’ is Lissie’s powerhouse vocal but this track is a great example of the rich production as the acoustic opening builds into a simmering cauldron of shimmering guitars and percussion.
‘Lonesome Wine’ is another example of Lissie not being afraid to face her demons; here, the use of alcohol as an escape. The song plays like a confession, “ I know I’m not doing my best” and praying “to God I’ll change my mind and I won’t be drinking lonesome wine.” Musically, this is a stunning piece of country-pop, propelled by understated drum beats and a gorgeously crafted twangy repeating guitar riff.
The album cleverly mixes tone, with the melancholic introspective tracks of ‘Unravel’ and ‘Sad’ punctuated by the soaring pop of ‘Chasing The Sun’. At first, the flow of acoustic storytelling into eighties-sounding pop feels distracting but it becomes evident as the album progresses that the balance of light and shade enhances the album. The path that Lissie eloquently takes the listener on isn’t a linear route of heartbreak to self-enlightenment but one of twilights interspersed with dawns.
On lead single ‘Flowers’, which features Bre Kennedy on vocals, Lissie perfectly balances the light and darkness of the entire record. It’s a track which shimmers with summery vibes and twinkling country guitars. Above all, it is about redemption and empowerment. The song begins with memories and regrets “ You used to bring me flowers” ends with exclamations of hope and self-permission “ I can grow flowers, (I will grow so high I’ll touch) The sky above.” Flowers is the numeric centre-piece of the album; its words act as a metaphor for this collection of songs and for Lissie’s personal growth.
The redemptive feel of ‘Flowers’ flows into ‘Carving Canyons’, which features Sarah Buxton and Kate York. Clever production layers on instruments as it builds to a screaming crescendo. By this stage, we take Lissie’s gorgeous vocal range for granted, but it’s hard not to feel moved by the message. A song about the redemptive power of nature and how the singer learnt to heal her pain (“pain is just a river forming down on me”) through her connection with the world around her. As she blasts out the chorus, “I’m carving canyons / More than I ever could imagine”, this doesn’t feel like a woman who is healing but a woman forging a new path of self-acceptance.
The theme of acceptance returns on the album’s closing track ‘Midnight’. At times there is an uncanny vocal resemblance to Miley Cyrus on a track that blends country-folk vibes with the punctuation of a mariachi trumpet. Soothing vocals draw us in as Lissie announces that she is “gonna get drunk on the midnight air.” This statement, rejecting the person from ‘Lonesome wine’, and living life to the full acknowledges that life is not perfect: “My life is out there / I don’t wanna fight it no more.” The song, and the album, end abruptly as Lissie declares, “Going downtown where the music plays, gonna live my life like it’s slipping away.”
It is a perfect ending to the journey Carving Canyons has taken us on. From heartbreak and darkness, Lissie has found self-acceptance and personal balance but she has created her finest album.
Read: Blast From The Past: Catching A Tiger // Lissie
Words by Andrew Butcher
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