'All of This Will End', ride the emotional rollercoaster with Indigo De Souza
On her third album All of This Will End, North Carolina singer-songwriter Indigo De Souza finds a calm clarity that begins with the album’s title and encompasses the entire track list. De Souza is known for her openly emotional music. She wrangles with the toughest parts of life. Her lyrics reference the struggles we all know – relationships, anxiety, loneliness. However, she finds a certain peace in her latest effort.
The album opens with ‘Time Back’, a multi-section journey that initiates with a synth-heavy verse that is frankly indie as f***. The middle section slides into a stripped back, spoken-word verse that goes along with a xylophonic-beat behind it. The final section dives into a much darker space. The track sets the tone for the emotional journey of the album. De Souza dances alone multiple stops on the emotional landscape, mixing up her sound along the way.
“There is nothing I can do / when the winds of change blow through” sings De Souza on the folksy ‘Losing’. The lyric encapsulates De Souza’s letting go of what she cannot control. She no longer lies in the darkness of agony. She accepts the end of a relationship and finds a peace in her acceptance as reflected in the joyous melody of the song.
The riff on ‘The Water’ may be the catchiest music piece of the entire album. (The whistle at the end of ‘You Can Be Mean’ comes in a strong second place). It makes you want to dance in your room, which may be the highest of praise to give a piece of music. De Souza’s clarity comes through again and she strides in the simplicity. “I really love / I really love the water” she sings in the hook and it is hard to disagree as she emotes a happy tune. The outro is centered around layered, call and response vocals. The harmonies give the song a climatic close that uplifts.
The emotional soundscape and range of the album are on display as De Souza brings that uplifting feeling crashing down with a grunge-y song in ‘Wasting Your Time’. The raw intensity of De Souza’s work comes out in the first verse of this track. It is a perfect example of how De Souza flirts with the balance of her newfound acceptance and the anguish of the past. ‘Not My Body’ pushes that balance even further with a Radiohead-esque composition. The verses float along a chill vibe while the chorus unleashes the inner Nirvana in De Souza.
Her smart lyricism and refreshed perspective shine through on the title track ‘All of This Will End’. De Souza pens the line, “I don’t have answers, no one does / I’ve been finding comfort in that”. Again, she explains the profound with something so easy. Sometimes you do not need to find all the answers and that may just bring you peace.
‘Smog’ may be the most fun track on the record. However, the album closer packs the biggest punch. ‘Younger & Dumber’ is a perfect close. De Souza plucks at your heartstrings as her fingers dance along the strings of an acoustic guitar. The song builds delivering emotional blow after blow on the way like a boxer capitalizing on an open rib cage. De Souza sings “the love I feel is so powerful, it can take you anywhere / the love I feel is so very real, it’ll drag you down”. Balance.
The album is a strong piece of lyrical simplicity that still packs a punch. It encompasses multiple instruments and genre sounds yet it all fits together as one. It is listenable indie rock that will make you think if you dive into lyrics. Or it may just make you dance, and it seems De Souza can accept it either way.