Under the moniker
girl in red
, then-bedroom pop recordist
Marie Ulven
broke through in a big way with the assertive lesbian anthem "i wanna be your girlfriend" in 2018, eventually resulting in a viral social-media euphemism for identifying as queer: Do you listen to the
? In 2021, now a full-fledged pop star, she turns up the volume, production sheen, and angst on her debut album,
if I could make it go quiet
. Co-produced by
Ulven
and
Matias Tellez
, it features additional production by
Finneas
on opening track "Serotonin," a candid, self-examining work of anthemic pop that slips in and out of ranting, bass-cranked raps and more-patient melodic hooks. As is the case for most of the album, it's produced in bold, tension-filled strokes designed, much like the lyrics, for catharsis. The songwriter goes on to defy social etiquette with more of her direct lyrics about sex, desire, and self-loathing on songs with titles sure to offend or at least embarrass a few parents. More-demure tracks, like the second half's "." and "Apartment 402," are also less memorable, though a song like "I'll Call You Mine" successfully combines hooks, handclaps, and sincerity. This balance was well-received in places like Norway, the Netherlands, the U.K., Ireland, and Australia, where
debuted in the Top Ten. ~ Marcy Donelson