Review Summary: This is why nostalgia exists
I don’t know how I went this long without listening to an album that feels so tailor-made for me.
I felt like I already knew
Speak For Yourself so well. Whether it’s from Ariana Grande sampling “Goodnight And Go”, the pervasive indie-pop micro-hit that is “Headlock”, or from “Hide And Seek” becoming a massive meme thanks to SNL… it all feels tenderly familiar. In my recent review of the most recent EP by the band After, I even mentioned Frou Frou as a major reference point for their joyful, nostalgic, wondrous brand of pop. And
Speak For Yourself is the blueprint – it’s not nostalgia, it was there soundtracking the original moment of exultation. You were 10 years old doing experiments in Year 5 science class, and the world was a simpler place… remember?
20 years later, the music absolutely holds up – there’s a reason it’s influence in art pop and indietronica has been seminal. Without
Speak For Yourself, there would be no
Desire, I Want To Turn Into You (a sister album that came to mind as soon as I heard Heap’s soaring, almost yodeled vocals in “Daylight Robbery”). There is no filler; every hook is masterfully created, and the production is always delicate enough to keep your heart aflutter, but the hard-hitting bass keeps you thirsty for the next track. Creativity is at a 10. Vocals are at a 10. Variety is 12/12 in how every song not only earns its spot in the album’s runtime, but provides its own distinct thread that weaves into a single, beautiful tapestry.
Speak For Yourself is just one of those special albums. It feels like I’ve reconnected with a family member I lost touch with in my youth. A late reunion, but one just as significant. And now I’m never letting go.
