In the debut studio album by Marie Ulven, also known as Girl in Red, “If I Could Make It Go Quiet” features indie-rock and bedroom pop styles as seen before in her “Chapter 1”  and “Chapter 2” EPs. The singer has called the album an “emotional recap” of 2020 where she explores her mental health and different sides of love. Ulven meant to release the album during 2020, but due to the COVID-19 pandemic, she delayed it. “(The pandemic) ain’t gonna stop World in Red baby!” in an interview with NME in early April 2020. 

Serotonin

“Serotonin,” a single from March 2021 includes production by FINNEAS, Billie Eilish’s producer and brother. “Serotonin” opens the album with a true indie-rock sound. It is upbeat and happy and almost approaches a hyper-pop sound. There are lyrics and monologue throughout that contrast with the actual music such as, “I get intrusive thoughts like cutting my hands off / Like jumping in front of a bus.” The contrasting lyrics and music is something that fans know Girl in Red for and what she does frequently. It creates variety in the album and is unique, but listeners on different social media platforms said they love it. 

Did You Come?

In a song about cheating, the overall strong lyrics and music let listeners really hear everything that Ulven is feeling. Her lyrics filled with anger like “I can’t forgive, I can’t forget / I should have known you’re full of it.” The song is raw, and shows another vulnerable side to the artist. Heavy on punk-rock, the song truly stands out as a unique piece on the album.

Body and Mind

https://youtu.be/YMJZJOH9-Z4

The very unique beginning of “Body and Mind” automatically draws in the listener. The tone completely changes to a more slow, almost mysterious song. It’s all about how Ulven needs to focus more on her mental health, and reminds herself with lyrics “I’ve been chasing everything that makes me feel cold / Practicing self love is something I don’t really know.” It’s definitely the most unique song off the album.

hornylovesickmess

Standing out against a lot of the other songs, the pop-rock beat combined with the quick lyrics that build throughout the song keeps the listeners interested, and when it turns more melodical as it fades, it allows the audience to reflect on the song. The piano was a great addition to this song, really letting it stick out amongst the other songs. Ulven is always capable of making all of her songs seem unique and different. The ending is a little unfitting for this song in my opinion, and it feels out of place after the dynamic beginning. I feel this would’ve been a great interlude or shorter song.

midnight love

“midnight love” is all about an unrequited love, and how the love interest of Ulven isn’t as interested as she is in the relationship. It was originally written as a single in April 2020, but has been re-released for this album. The pop-punk, hard-hitting beat echoes through the chorus as Ulven re-assures herself that “I can’t be your midnight love.” This song has been a personal favorite even before the album’s release, and fits in perfectly with the tone of love and hard feelings that Ulven beautifully hits on throughout this album.

You Stupid B****

A true punk-pop song, this song is all about having a crush, and then that crush not noticing. Many have drawn contrasts to the “Perks of Being a Wallflower” iconic line, where the teacher tells the main character, Charlie, that “We accept the love we think we deserve.” This song sounds harsh and full of anger, and that tone continues with lyrics like “You let the wrong people love you / But you don’t see that, do you?” It follows Girl in Red’s iconic punk-pop tone, and will definitely be going on my playlists.

Rue

This song, a single in 2020, titles after the character Zendaya plays on the TV show “Euphoria.” While the song has an upbeat vibe to it, the lyrics give a much deeper meaning that resonates with Rue and her self-destructive tendencies and issues she endured in the show. Towards the end of the song, Ulven whispers “Yeah, I tried / To get it off my mind / To leave it all behind / Don’t wanna make it worse / I’m gonna make it work,” in silence before the upbeat sound erupts for the remaining 30 seconds of the song. Similar to “I’ll Call You Mine” and “hornylovesickmess” on the album, Rue has an upbeat vibe with deep lyrics.

Apartment 402

“Apartment 402″ has a unique sound with a heavy indie-rock vibe. The lyrics are vague compared to the specificity of the title. Compared to some other songs on the album, there is little emotional depth, but rather just mentions cliches like “Laid down my cards” and “Played my best part.”  It is a chill song that blends well with the rest of the album, however it lacks the complexity listeners expect from a short album. 

. 

“.” is my favorite song on the album because of the upbeat and indie-pop sounds it has. The overall vibe of the song is similar to Ulven’s earlier EPs and albums. The contrast between her deep, emotional lyrics and the beat of the song is what draws listeners in.

I’ll Call You Mine

The alternative-love style reoccurs with “I’ll Call You Mine.” All about a summer love, Ulven draws hard contrasts throughout the song with a loud chorus that stands out against softer verses. It is definitely a favorite off the album, and sounds like one of those summer songs that you blare out of your car during a long drive. It’s energetic, and full of catchy lyrics like “Break me down / And I’ll call you mine / And you know I’ve been around.” 

it would feel like this

This song, with a style in the lowercase title, is similar in its format like a few others on the album. The song is purely instrumental with piano and strings. It sounds moody rather than upbeat or happy. The title “it would feel like this” creates mystery because we don’t know what exactly would feel like the song.