Laura Marling Reflects on Life in “Patterns in Repeat”
So much of life and humanity seems to be about finding love and meaning. Music is one of our best ways of processing and wrapping our heads around the crazy highs and lows, the natural ebbs and flows. Much of modern music revolves around romantic love; it is passionate, it is fiery, it is intense. This review, or the album Patterns in Repeat by Laura Marling, is by no means a critique of that intensity, but a reminder that there is also beauty in simplicity, and domesticity.
The album largely is about her daughter and family life, and follows in the footsteps of her previous album, Song For Our Daughter. It is entirely acoustic — it features no percussion whatsoever. The simple yet melodic and beautiful instrumentals of the album mirror its themes and messages. Marling’s vocals are as smooth as honey, and its release is timed perfectly with the changing of the seasons. It is exactly the kind of album one could play while curled up on the couch with a blanket and a good book.
Arguably, the first song, “Child of Mine,” is one of the best on the album. The sentiment is sugar-sweet, as she repeats the titular line over and over for the chorus, and expresses how she doesn’t want to rush through or miss any aspects of her child’s life. However, she is far from predictable; after the first lyric, “You and your dad are dancing in the kitchen,” the next line is “Life is slowing down but it's still bitchin’.” This second line begs an extra level of consideration — “slowing down” and “bitchin’” are two words that one does not necessarily expect to hear in the same context. Here, Marling is reframing the concept of something being “bitchin’” or cool, etc, and asking the listener to reconsider their definition of that. She argues that this slow paced life and its simple pleasures still excite her.
Though the second track, “Patterns,” is a short one, Marling displays her incredible lyricism. The song features nature based imagery, particularly apparent in verse 2 with the lines “To have your children, your flock of birds / Your branch among the wood.” These images conjure the sense of something larger than oneself — a whole flock of birds, the wood. But, they also imply finding one’s place among that largeness, particularly in the concept of a branch among the wood.
In “Your Girl,” Marling touches on some larger societal themes of womanhood. The repetitive lyric, “I’ll always be your girl,” is intriguing because on the surface it is a sweet sentiment, however, there is an element of possession in that phrasing. Additionally, she hits the nail on the head with the lines “I'm trying to play a boy's game / Feeling like a pawn inside a pornscape.” Here, she discusses the complexities of being a woman who lives in a patriarchal society, as well as references the objectification and hypersexualization of female presenting individuals with the term “pornscape.”
The next two songs, “No One’s Gonna Love You Like I Can” and “The Shadows” continue to feature mesmerizing melodies and stellar lyricism. Next comes “Interlude (Time Passages),” an instrumental track. Despite the track including no lyrics, Marling has managed to capture exactly what the title implies; the sense of time passing.
“Caroline” is one of the most intriguing tracks of the album. Where previously, most of the songs seemed to be about Marling’s daughter, this one appears to be about some sort of past love interest. It implies a “one that got away,” type of situation. The lyrics of the chorus go, “It went la la la la la la la la la / La la, something something, Caroline,” in reference to a song that the singer is trying to recall. This could seem like a lyrical cop-out, but rather, it is a moment of truth in the song, and shows how the passage of time can muddle memories.
Another reflective anthem is found in “Looking Back.” Here, the chorus repeats, “Looking back, that's all I do.” Typically, when someone begins a sentence with the phrase, “Looking back…” they move on to give some more specific reflective statement, as in, “Looking back, I should have done it differently.” In the song though, Marling positions “looking back” as its own action. All that the singer does is reflect.
“Lullaby” is exactly what it sounds like. It is a lullaby that Marling could sing, presumably to her daughter. Its melody is smooth and lulling. Marling’s soft vocals are reassuring. The song serves its exact purpose.
The penultimate and titular song, “Patterns in Repeat,” is noteworthy. As its title suggests, it seems to be in conversation with the earlier “Patterns.” Both songs discuss this concept of patterns repeating themselves, but what stands out about the second is its hyper-specific imagery. In lyrics such as “A light perfume that lingered in the room / That everlasting tune you had to sing,” Marling illustrates how moments and aspects of life carry on and continue.
To wrap up the album, Marling includes “Lullaby (Instrumental).” It is calm and soothing, easing the listener out of an overall gorgeous album.
Photo via @lauramarling on Instagram
