A breathtaking instance of exquisite reflection...
23 · 07 · 2025
We encounter Indigo de Souza on the brink. Yet this time, the vastness before us—the abyss she seems to be screaming into— is not the main focus. Instead, this precipice feels like a moment frozen in time. We are no longer gazing forward with unease, as we did during her 2018 debut ‘I Love My Mom,’ nor are we looking back with a sense of bittersweet contemplation as we do with its successor ‘Any Shape You Take.’ 2023’s ‘All Of This Will End’ occupied a space in between, attempting to make sense of how the chaotic past shapes the future. It's clear how de Souza has arrived at this next phase: Precipice appears ready to simply exist, without the need to find clarity.
‘Be Like The Water,’ the last single released before the album, may be the most ethereal interpretation of 'go with the flow,' featuring de Souza’s unique, dreamy sigh paired with sparkly production, smoothly weaving through lyrical ideas that don’t conform to a typical verse/chorus structure. It’s a delightfully engaging stream of consciousness—impossible not to surrender and float along with her thoughts.
Rather than merely letting go, embracing circumstances as they are and experiencing them as deeply as necessary is a theme that recurs throughout ‘Precipice.’ ‘Crush’ is a vibrant and exhilarating track that overflows with raw enthusiasm for the early stages of love, with de Souza unabashedly expressing her feelings. She maintains a hopeful tone alongside the wobbly synths and relaxed production. In contrast, ‘Crying Over Nothing’ releases in an entirely different manner, featuring some of the album’s most straightforward and sorrowful lyrics (“I’m feeling you pull away / I still love you / Like I did at the start / Barely surviving / I hate being apart / I’m crying again”) while the song itself feels like a celebration. The sparkling, cascading synths and rapid beat could mislead you into thinking it’s euphoric if you’re not paying close attention, and this is exactly the intention. Let go! Dance! Scream! Feel!
Most of ‘Precipice’ adheres to this thematic framework: ‘Heartthrob’ delivers a gut-punch narrative about the vulnerability of youth against an upbeat musical backdrop, presented with enthusiasm; ‘Heartbreaker’ conveys pure heartbreak disguised by a light-hearted melody and gentle guitar strumming, despite the visible anguish in de Souza’s voice. Following ‘Heartbreaker’ is ‘Pass It By,’ a frenetic expression of uncertainty from de Souza, yet she fully commits. With 80s-inspired instrumentals reminiscent of A-ha and Tiffany, the music accelerates and embraces the panic, as de Souza “jumps headfirst into the thick of it.”
The contrast between the highest highs and lowest lows imbues ‘Precipice’ with a sensation of being poised on the edge—these experiences coexist, sometimes even within the same breath as de Souza transitions from a whimsical water metaphor to stark kitchen-sink realism. However, when de Souza takes a moment to pause for breath, as she does intermittently, she reveals the vastness of everything that exists beyond this moment. ‘Be My Love’ and ‘Precipice’ are two such pauses, gracefully framing the album as its opening and closing tracks. The former is simple yet perpetually on the verge of becoming something monumental, featuring a whispering background ambience and de Souza’s commanding, crystalline delivery. The instrumentation fluctuates between barely there and overwhelming, amplifying the emotional weight of her lyrics. Conversely, the latter is an intimate, lo-fi experience that draws everything inward, making it seem as though de Souza is sharing her thoughts solely for herself. This may indeed be true—she has pushed herself to the very brink creatively, resulting in a stunning album. She has earned this moment of splendid reflection.
9/10
Words: Ims Taylor
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We encounter Indigo de Souza at the brink. However, the vast emptiness that lies before us, the chasm Indigo is crying out towards - seemingly on the verge of plunging into - isn't the focus this time.