Lottie Murray
Critically acclaimed artist Willow Smith, otherwise known as WILLOW, has released her highly anticipated fifth studio album, <COPINGMECHANISM>. This pop-punk record, consisting of 11 tracks, truly showcases WILLOW’s journey of authenticating her sound, and her musical growth radiates through each song. She has unequivocally created an album that ruptures genre borders.
New Era For WILLOW
The opening track ‘<maybe> it’s my fault’ introduces the heavy and predominant instruments which drive forward the grunge feel of the album. By listening to the lyrics, it is made apparent that WILLOW is exploring a reminiscent narrative regarding an encounter at a party.
At the pre-chorus, WILLOW’s vocals become distorted anticipating the impending upsurge in tempo. ‘<maybe it’s my fault>’ is a spectacularly produced track that showcases WILLOW’S alluring vocals. It is a true embodiment of the new WILLOW era we are entering.
Inspiration Behind The Album
“I was just allowing myself to do whatever I wanted”
In an interview with NME, prior to <COPINGMECHANISM>’s release, WILLOW discussed the process of creating her own personal coping mechanism through her music. She said: “I was just allowing myself to do whatever I wanted.”
She revealed that she and co-producer Chris Grotti really embraced the spontaneity of this specific creative process, especially since she felt that she was “more in touch with her vocal state” compared to her previous album.
Throughout the interview, she continually emphasised that she “felt so free” while participating in the journey of producing this record, and the final product certainly shows this newfound sense of freedom.
Different Music Styles
Before WILLOW’s new album was released in its entirety on 9 October, listeners were treated with an exclusive sneak peek into what the album would consist of. Her single ‘Split’, which got released around a week beforehand, is much more on the pop end of the spectrum and contains a very catchy beat.
The transition from steady drums and strings into an ardent explosion of rock-fuelled greatness is the most notable part of the track.
The conclusive track, ‘BATSHIT!’, feels like an emotional release of the feelings that have built up over the 10 tracks prior. Through ‘BATSHIT!’ WILLOW explores coming to terms with the fact that some people no longer serve a purpose in one’s life, and despite the heartbreak attached to it, this realisation can very quickly turn to overwhelming anger.
“a sense of reflection is evident”
A sense of reflection is evident, which is a difficult concept to comprehend, but the musicality of the track proves to be an ideal environment for this deliberation to occur. The track specifically focuses on the ugliness of lying and how this is a characteristic that should not be ignored.
Overall, the album flows seamlessly and none of the songs stick out in a negative way. I firmly believe that <COPINGMECHANISM> does not have one skippable track. WILLOW demonstrates her improved ability to acknowledge her emotions, providing comfort to the listener.
As a young adult, she has reclaimed the rebellious teenage image that many people employ on social media and has instead used her popularity to showcase her art in such an intellectual and elegant way.
Featured image courtesy of Sam Moghadam Khamseh via Unsplash. Image license found here. No changes were made to this image.
