In September of 2022, I attended my first Lizzy McAlpine concert. I was a huge fan and could not believe I was finally going to see her live with one of my best friends. Being so excited to hear my favorite songs of hers live, I paid no attention to who was listed as the opener. It wasn’t like the Eras Tour that I would come to get tickets for later, where half the fun was seeing Phoebe Bridgers, another of my favorite artists, open for Taylor Swift. I didn’t recognize the other name on my ticket, so I fully anticipated just tapping my feet and twiddling my thumbs while I waited for Lizzy. But that is not what happened.
I was immediately obsessed when Carol Ades walked onto the stage. Her presence was comforting and casual, and she was adamant about how grateful and happy she was to be in the room with us. She felt like the older sister I never had, promising to accept me for who I was and to validate every experience I had had growing up as a girl.
She sang some of her singles as well as songs from her debut EP and paused between them to tell jokes, ask us questions, and tell us about herself. My biggest regret is that I did not learn her songs before and couldn’t sing along. While it was a heavenly experience to hear her voice singing so crystal clear throughout the venue, I wish I could hear her live again now that those songs are some of my favorites and mean so much to me.
My top three songs of Carol’s are “Through,” “Before The Night Is Over,” and “Sadtown USA.” I feel as though if I had to choose a theme song for my life, like it was a TV show, that song would 100% be “Through.” It’s comfort condensed into 2 minutes and 58 seconds. Carol really reminds us that everything’s going to be okay because “the only way out is through.” “Before The Night Is Over” is a collaboration with Kristiane, another smaller pop singer. It’s a song about being overwhelmed and sad and really just wanting to feel better soon. It’s always stuck in my head and is great to sing along to in the car. “Sadtown USA” is simply the song you need to validate when you’re going through a rough patch, when you’re sad for seemingly no reason. It makes your sadness feel just a little bit less lonely.
What I love about Carol is the messages she sends within her music and also on social media as she interacts directly with her fans. She is down to Earth, humble, and funny, and the themes in her music are so relatable. It almost makes you think she got into your brain and pulled your emotions out to turn them into her lyrics.
She’s also extremely open about where she gets her influences from, and that’s part of what makes her so relatable to girl’s girls anywhere. These influences include Greta Gerwig (especially her 2019 adaptation of Little Women), Phoebe Bridgers, and really anything of the “coming of age” genre.
She has been teasing a brand new era of music, and her most recent singles, “Free” and “Better Than You Found Me,” are signs that this era is going to be amazing, and could be her big break. I would highly recommend giving Carol Ades a listen and keep your eyes peeled for her next big project! You can follow her @carolades on Instagram and X and stream her music wherever you usually listen, including Spotify and Apple Music!