Album Review: Empathogen by WILLOW
On her sixth record, WILLOW embarks on a new direction, deftly navigating towards genres infused with jazz and alternative elements—an unexpected divergence from her 2022 rock-centric offering.
WILLOW is a maverick, reshaping standard rules of pop, R&B, and rock music to create her distinct sound. As a budding singer/songwriter, she ignited her career with the infectious 2010 hit “Whip My Hair,” earning the honor of being the youngest artist to bag a double-platinum single. WILLOW took control of her craft, self-producing her full-length debut in 2015, Ardipithecus, which introduced eclectic dimensions of alt-R&B to her musical identity. Ever since this debut, her musical persona has persistently been in flux. It echoes her concerns, collaborators, and the influences shaping her formative years.
By 2017, her sonic landscape had started absorbing more naturalistic acoustic elements, which is evident in her album, The 1st. Adding another layer to her unique sound, WILLOW incorporated elements of dream pop in her eponymous 2019’s self-titled album. Not one to be contained within the confines of a single genre, she embraced the anarchic spirit of punk rock in her 2021 release, Lately I Feel Everything. With her musical offering in 2022, COPINGMECHANISM, WILLOW firmly establishes her ascension, delivering a raw emotional rock.
On the album’s first single, “Symptom of Life,” she navigates the concept of self-discovery and the dichotomy between superficiality and deeper meaning. WILLOW seems to question why people wait for hardship to seek transformation and suggests that an awareness of life’s delicacy can be enlightening. The final refrain, featuring the turtle metaphor, alludes to a natural instinct to strive towards survival and purpose despite obstacles—a theme that resonates with human perseverance and hope.
“Run!” captures the struggle of feeling trapped within one’s own mind and the cyclical nature of negative thoughts. The motif of being unable to escape is mirrored in the verses, where the speaker addresses an unnamed other, asking them to stop perceiving her as a friend or a prize. She suggests a disconnect between how others view her and her internal experience that’s dominated by spiraling thoughts that she describes as “maddening,” while “The Fear Is Not Real” presents a theme of confronting and questioning the nature of fear. The contrasts between being prey or hunter, child or mother, reflect internal conflicts and the multifaceted roles one navigates in life.
She teams up with Jon Batiste on “Home,” the album’s opening track that mixes jazzy production with alternative undertones, which sets the tone for the rest of Empathogen. The same could be said for the shortest songs on the records with the Eddie Benjamin-produced “Down,” the acoustic guitar-driven “Ancient Girl,” and the sporadic “I Know That Face.” On one of the album’s best cuts, “False Self,” WILLOW and her immaculate background vocals introduces a desire to move away from justifications and external validation, likening the self to an isolated island that is unoccupied. There is an acknowledgment of an inescapable attraction to understanding oneself (“I can’t escape the pull”), paired with the realization that previous self-deceptions are no longer sustainable (“My false self must die”).
In her illustrious career, WILLOW has fluidly navigated through diverse musical genres. However, for those who relished her recent explorations into deeply emotional post-punk, the transition presented here may feel more significant than any abrupt rock and roll riff. Although debatably classified as jazz, this set of twelve songs unveils yet another evolution in her artistic journey. Though the inherent gentleness of acoustic pieces like “Pain for Fun,” enhanced by St. Vincent, may seem subtle, each rendition allows her to showcase her undeniable talent. Nevertheless, it’s unambiguous that she’s elevated her repertoire on all fronts—in particular on “Big Feelings,” a climax as spectacular as any she’s produced before. Empathogen presents her with a broad canvas to experiment and develop.
Great (★★★★☆)
Favorite Track(s): “Symptom of Life,” “False Self,” “Run!”