Rising artist Nessa Barrett is taking pop music to the next level with her emotionally vulnerable debut full-length album, young forever, out today. Comprised of thirteen confessional, personal tracks, young forever finds the twenty year-old looking inward and dissecting the music scene while she balances growing up while being thrust into stardom. Further bridging the gap between pop, alternative, rock and emo music, Nessa Barrett has perfectly established her place in the scene and proven her diversity with this release.
Opening with the blunt “tired of california”, Barrett quickly expresses her frustration with the empty friendships and vanity that comes with fame and living in LA, perfectly setting the tone for the songs that follow. Carried by her sticky sweet and stunningly intoxicating vocals and a perfect blend between moody pop and grungy rock, these songs will surely find Barrett able to fit into just about any scene, any lineup and any festival in the future – and with a slot on next week’s inaugural When We Were Young Festival, it’s safe to say that she’s only going to continue to grow as a result of this release. “talk to myself” is a perfect example of this – a slow jam carried by heavy, gritty guitar that perfectly compliments her soulful, sweet vocals.
Highlights of young forever include the intimate “dear god”, which finds the singer trying to find a place that she fits in and wondering what her purpose is alongside hauntingly beautiful guitar, the ultra-confident “too hot to cry”, which finds her proclaiming, “I won’t let you lock me up inside / cause I’m too hot to cry” alongside dark synth. The two very different sounds and moods sit only one song apart, yet flow perfectly into one another. Then there’s the massive single, “madhouse,” which leads listeners into the spectacular final five songs, which are simply banger after banger, proving that Barrett is capable of just about anything. The heartbreakingly beautiful “unnecessary violence” sits perfectly alongside the vulnerable acoustic track, “lovebomb”, which leads into the bittersweet love song, “die first” only a few songs later.
Coming to a cinematic close with the short yet vocally stunning “lucky star”, young forever is a celebration of Nessa Barrett’s vocal prowess and sonic versatility. Whether it’s a minimalistic track like “lovebomb”, a synth driven pop anthem like “madhouse” or nostalgic pop song like “die first”, Nessa Barrett succeeds again and again throughout young forever, proving that she’s simply destined for greatness.