If I Could Make It Go Quiet is a blunt and intrusive insight into Marie Ulven’s (stage name “girl in red“) lows and highs as she discusses her struggles with mental health, fame, queer love, and an old flame. Although, none of the content in the album is groundbreaking or new, the way girl in red covey’s herself in her music is still so genuine and beautiful.
“Serotonin” is a deceivingly happy-sounding song, but do not let the soaring pop song or the catchy chorus deter you from truly listening to the beauty of the song. The song masks the lyrical struggles of mental health and living with the intrusive thoughts of self doubt and “feeling crazy.” Ulven met up with NPR and explained how important it was for her to write this song for people to relate to. She wanted “… people [to] feel less crazy. I think it’s so important to just hear that, that a lot of people have these thoughts.”
This one I started writing last year, at the beginning of the pandemic, and I was not doing well. I started making music because that’s always what I do when I don’t know what to do with myself. And suddenly, all of these lyrics were coming out of my brain – I’ve been struggling with intrusive thoughts my entire life, and I’m just mentioning a couple in this song, but it’s been a lot of those. I’ve had many different weird hang ups, like I haven’t been able to swallow food for longer periods of time because I’ve been so scared I was going to die… just going through so many weird things.
Ulven on “Serotonin” and mental health. (Taken from NPR)
“Body and Mind” is in the same wavelength of “Serotonin.” They both discuss a sense of vulnerability, but “Body and Mind” is focused on the disappointment of letting people in and the depressive state that you resort to. One of the realest and most intense songs on the album is “You Stupid Bitch.” Ulven does not hold back as she describes the hardships of being friend-zoned by a loved one. Overall, the album has a little bit of everything, the ups (turn to pop track “I’ll Call You Mine”) and the downs.
The Sound
There is a mixture throughout the album but it tends be a fuse of the new with the old, folk, soft rock, instrumental, and indie-pop. There’s truly a touch of almost everything condensed in this elven track album.
Girl In Red eloquently frames her emotions throughout the album, and it is highly recommended as something to be added to your playlists. Each song is like a deep look into someone’s diary as they discuss their love life, heartbreak, and anxieties
Favorite Songs:
“Serotonin,” “You Stupid Bitch,” and “Body and Mind.”
Stream, If I Could Make It Go Quiet here:
