Recommended tracks: “Fruityloop,” “Pussy Palace,” “Beg For Me”
Artists you may like: Amy Winehouse, MARINA, Olivia Dean
When Lily Allen announced last week via Instagram that her first album in seven years would be released in just four days, no level of fan excitement could have predicted the overwhelming repercussions that were to come.
Although the British pop star is known for her unapologetic persona, which comes through in her music, West End Girl nonchalantly arrives as a shocking tell-all project that details her divorce from Stranger Things actor David Harbor. A predominantly downtempo record, West End Girl showcases Allen’s wit and charm as a songwriter who can turn a tragic love story into a thoroughly enjoyable listen that will make you cry, laugh, and gasp, all in a single song.
In chronological order, the story opens with the title track, describing Allen’s move to New York to be with her partner and, soon after, leaving for London to perform in a West End play. The breezy, bossa nova-infused track is cut off halfway for a phone call between Allen and her husband, who, although not heard on the other end, is seemingly asking her permission to open the relationship due to its long-distance nature. By recreating this dialogue, something she repeats in other tracks, Allen incorporates a theatrical element that both complements the album concept and keeps the listener intrigued.
In “Ruminating,” she tries to process the sudden change in her relationship, drowning in late-night thoughts and anxiety that can be heard through the busy and, at times, chaotic soundscape, as she sings, “I can’t shake the image of her naked / On top of you and I’m dissociated.” In the 1950s-influenced track, “Sleepwalking,” Allen writes about her spouse blaming her for their marriage troubles. In the synth-heavy, gritty bridge, she expresses her frustration: “I could preserve all of your fantasiеs / If only you could act them all out with me.”
“Tennis” should sound familiar to Allen fans, balancing a midtempo yet uplifting instrumentation while lyrically exploring a serious topic. Here, she finds out about her partner’s affair from a text on his phone, breaking the agreed-upon terms of their arrangement. She ends the chorus on a humorous note, though, questioning, “And who’s Madeline?”
With the follow-up track, “Madeline,” the answer is revealed. Over a flamenco-inspired arrangement, Madeline herself takes over the song, telling her side of the story in a Ryan-Murphy-campy monologue. Following the playful moment, Allen breaks down in “Relapse,” opening up about her struggle to remain sober as her marriage falls apart. In the pre-chorus, she sings, “I need a drink, I need a Valium / You pushed me this far and I just need to be numb.”
One of the highlights of the project, “Pussy Palace” details Allen’s visit to her soon-to-be ex’s apartment, where she discovers evidence, such as sex toys, condoms, and love letters, that prompt her to sing: “I didn’t know it was your pussy palace, pussy palace, pussy palace, pussy palace / I always thought it was a dojo, dojo, dojo / So am I looking at a sex addict, sex addict, sex addict, sex addict?” The atmospheric production, combined with Allen’s earworm melodies and soft vocals, makes the track an instant standout.
In “4chan Stan,” Allen compares her husband’s behavior to that of a member in the controversial online forum, 4chan, known for its extremist and deviant posts. To close out perhaps the strongest three-track run of the record, she invites Specialist Moss to feature on “Nonmonogammumy,” one of the more upbeat songs, in which she grapples with fully letting go of the relationship, singing, “I’ve been trying to be open / I just want to meet your needs / And for some reason I revert to people pleasing.”
In the whimsical number “Just Enough,” Allen is more introspective, realizing how she lost her sense of self in the relationship, relying on her partner’s approval and validation, singing, “I booked myself a facelift, wondering how long it might hold / I gave you all my power, how I’m seen through your eyes / Through your eyes.”
In “Dallas Major,” Allen dishes on her experience as a 40-year-old single mother going on dates. It’s a fun, relatable, and lighthearted moment on the album. Over a sleek bassline, she sings, “I’m almost nearly forty, I’m just shy of five-foot-two / I’m a mum to teenage children, does that sound like fun to you? / ‘Cause I hate it here.”
The next track, “Beg For Me,” is another highlight, with a more experimental, sparse pop production that samples Lumidee’s “Never Leave You (Uh Oooh, Uh Oooh).” In the song, Allen questions why her ex-lover won’t show her any signs of sympathy: “You’re so indifferent and that’s insane / Where’s all your empathy for, for all my pain? / My friends all tell me you are deranged.”
Nearing the end of the record, the stripped-back “Let You W/In” is an empowering turning point as she defends her right to tell her side of the story through art, regardless of how damaging it could be to the parties involved. In the verse, she sings, “Nevеr get your sympathy, I don’t think you’re able / But I can walk out with my dignity, if I lay my truth on the table.”
The closing track, “Fruityloop,” is the perfect choice to end the project as it beautifully captures her cathartic breakthrough after a rollercoaster of emotions. With its melancholic yet immediately catchy chorus, in which Allen references her 2008 sophomore album, It’s Not Me, It’s You, she returns to form. The song is rather a more mature statement as she closes a chapter and moves on guilt-free.
Over 14 tracks, West End Girl proves that Lily Allen has mastered her unique ability to connect with a generation of listeners who turn to her for honesty and vulnerability. With an impeccable page-turning narrative and meticulously crafted songs that expand on the distinctive sound she forged throughout her career, the LP helps Allen reclaim her throne as one of the most influential British pop stars of modern times.
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