Indigo De Souza’s ‘Precipice’ Focuses on Singer’s Identity, Ties to Previous Work

Via @indigofaraway on Instagram.

Out of all the up and coming singers in this generation, Indigo De Souza is one of the artists who has defined herself and her aesthetic the clearest. From the album covers, which all feature skeletal creatures in the same art style, to the consistent sound of her music, De Souza is clearly purposeful in her work. This consistency remains in their newly released fourth studio album, Precipice. 

The first track, “Be My Love,” has appeared prior to its album release as the backing for a YouTube video as well as being played during live sets. Similar to many of the tracks on the album, the song is short and sweet. To begin Precipice, “Be My Love” opens with a plea: “Be my love / Tell me you won’t stop / At anything.” At the end of the track, De Souza claims “It's not the end / It can't be”—and with 10 more tracks to go, it most certainly is not the end. 

The second track’s title, “Crying Over Nothing,” is clearly a lie based on the following lyrics. In the song’s pre-chorus, she sings “I still love you / Like I did at the start / Barely surviving / I hate being apart.” The song is filled with big feelings and sweeping statements—it is apparent that the heartbreak is meaningful and not, as the title suggests, “nothing.”

“Crush” is one of the most fun tracks on the album. Its melody is upbeat, the song has a bit more of a pop sound than some of her others. The main line of the chorus is simple; “Ooh, I think I got a crush on you.” It is enjoyable to hear De Souza with a lighthearted track—while they are excellent at portraying complex and weighty emotions, it is refreshing to be lifted with this third track. 

In “Not Afraid,” it seems the singer has found a level of understanding that she is encouraging the subject, or perhaps even listener, to consider. She encourages vulnerability in lines such as “I wanna shake you and wake you up / You should be loving and being loved.” On a personal note, she explains “I'm not afraid of dyin' anymore / I'm not afraid of livin' either.” While a simple statement, they seem to be in a place of deep peace.

The third single and fifth track, “Be Like the Water,” is definitely a standout from the album as a whole. The same goes for the first single and next track, “Heartthrob,” one of the most raw songs featured. In “Heartthrob,” De Souza expresses anger towards those who have hurt her, a fierceness of love for the ones she is close to, and a commitment to remaining true to herself and her roots. 

“Dinner” feels like a very classic Indigo De Souza song both in terms of sound and lyrics. At the end, they even sing “Giving with all you've got / Crying in the parking lot,” perhaps a reference to the track “Parking Lot” on their previous album. Both tracks seem to focus on the balance of highs and lows inevitable to life, and accepting sadness as inherent to living. 

The central metaphor in “Clean It Up” goes “I really thought I had time to clean it / I didn't think I would leave you with it.” Here, De Souza references her own struggles and baggage, recognizing how it affects a partner. However, she still seems to believe the relationship is worth it, singing “Feeling around in the dark / Maybe it ain't been easy / But it's worth all the love we got.”

“Heartbreaker” is an interesting title in juxtaposition with the earlier track, “Heartthrob.” In the “Heartthrob,” De Souza passionately exclaims, “God, when I'm a grown-up / I wanna have a full cup / A true heartthrob”—they want to be the heartthrob. In “Heartbreaker,” however, she is calling someone else the title, and realizing how all-consuming that person is.

In opposition to “Not Afraid” comes the second to last track, “Pass It By.” In the first lines, she is incredulous: “Barely know who I am today and you want me to jump / Head first in the thick of it, when there isn't any ground.” Here, she expresses hesitation and, in fact, fear. This proves that in “Not Afraid,” the singer doesn’t necessarily mean that they have no fears, but is actively choosing to persist. She does the same by the end of “Pass It By,” settling the song with “We'll be alright, if wе can just pass it by.” 

The final and titular track, “Precipice” provokes thought in its placement as the last song on the album. The title implies being on the cusp of something about to happen—one would think, then, that there would be more songs after this. However, De Souza instead chooses to leave listeners literally in the dark with the final lines, “Coming to a precipice / Holding on for dear life / Looking out into the world / Everything has gone dark.”