The newest release by the talented Avery Lynch, ‘Glad We Met’, explores themes of heartbreak, growth and new love tied with a deep acoustic style rooted in raw vocals to express these themes. Song by song, here is the review:

‘Rain’: The first track immediately solidifies the style Avery is developing in her music, the staple piano and raw, calming vocals to reflect the sadness felt in her previous heartbreak, even when life seems to be moving on. Lyrics such as ‘And patiently wait out the storm’ and ‘if I knew how to make it rain’, contrasts how she is feeling as if she is waiting for something that will never come, because her feelings are still present, and is a metaphor of wondering if she could ever feel otherwise ‘make it rain’, circling back to the title of the song. There is also a beautiful instrumental, adding in a violin after that lyric, building the story but remaining calm in its’ tone. Definitely a track to listen to on a rainy day.

‘the boys who don’t know what they want’: Following with a self-explanatory title, possibly expressing how she has experienced this before, ‘I’m done finding someone who won’t ever try hard enough’. Throughout this track, it really feels like a journal entry, being expressive of what these boys do, adding relatability to others who have experienced such. ‘It’s okay, But I don’t wanna be wanted that way’, is another stand-out lyric for me as she seems to describe her past experiences but knows her self-worth and that those experiences led her to her journey now. Again, followed with a repetitive piano beat really helps focus in on the lyrics she sings so well, but each song still has a different tone to it.

‘Think about it’:, This song is a stand-out for me already in the album, focusing in more on the different versions of herself she now finds with her past heartbreak, reflecting on it now as a stronger individual. This is much more about her own self,’When you left me to just think about it? You made us the bed and I’m lying in it’, how it seems the other person has moved on but she is still stuck. There is a very interesting perspective of the use of the word ‘us’ when talking about supposedly just herself ‘Like if you ignored us, we’d go away’. I think that is a play on the previous lyric,’there’s a version of me you let down’, and showing in her incredible lyricism the separation of different versions of herself like they are two different people. Her lyricism really does make the listener feel every word, and she includes beautiful vocal layering in this track which could again be a resemblance of different versions of her but adds more depth to the song, alongside the instrumental build that I always like in a song.

‘Dead To Me’: A song I could definitely see in a movie, with the build in instrumentals that rises in pitch, almost feeling hopeful. ‘I knew you better than anyone’ is a lyric but also an underlying theme of the song, with the lyric ‘It feels kinda sad all your mannerisms have rubbed off on me’, as she is expressing her distaste and sadness of someone she loved becoming a stranger as one always changes but still remembering moments almost like a montage build and feeling stuck. ‘Now old you is done and dead to me, but not really’ , ‘now we’re just both ghosts’, and the title being ‘dead to me’, plays into the theme of death and how not knowing someone the same can almost feel like they no longer exist. I find the metaphor of this to really widen the storytelling in Avery’s music, giving slower songs more depth and curiosity.

‘Lasting Effects’: Immediately we are hit with a guitar strum that seems more light in tone, and happier and hopeful. This reflects well in the chorus, as she expresses how this past relationship helped her discover more self-love and that was the effect, being better without the relationship which shows confidence over her past hurt. “Cause, you know, I think my hair looks good short and I dance now without feeling wrong…And I found out that I like my voice from my own mouth.” A relatability factor there for anyone who has survived a rough breakup, and it is nice to see the uplift throughout the EP, the journey that she is taking step by step that a lot of the audience could find connection to personal experiences in. I love the transition from ‘Dead To Me’, into this song and find the album is consistent in listening top to bottom, which I find important in music.

‘intruder’: That past track could have sufficed as an ending track but this is an album with more to share! This song seems to reflect how the past situation creeps into her brain still like an intruder, with a deeper drum beat, almost one you hear in a more horror style or could possibly resemble slow footsteps. This contrasts with her higher tone in her vocals which is an interesting style. ‘You snuck your way in my mind’ is a lyric that reflects this ideal but the songwriter seems confused on how she is still thinking about this past relationship or person, almost like it is out of her control. It is interesting to see the contrast in this song from the previous, but definitely a perfect song for mid-point in the album, expressing there is a lot more depth in emotions, which is clear as emotions are not linear.

‘Sweetheart’: Back with the more light instrumental focusing on a guitar strim, and feels a lot more calm than the previous track – perhaps reflecting how she feels as she seems to find a new person who treats her better, and realising her standards were low from previous experiences ‘you left the bar where it’s not hard to reach’. ‘He likes to listen, he’s got follow-up questions, Who would’ve known I was that interesting?’, expresses further how this person is treating her right but it is with simple things like listening to her and she realises her own worth further and how she should be treated. There is almost a magical feel to the instrumental guitar with the light backing vocals, feeling more relaxing in tone reflecting the idea of feeling safe and comfortable. Again her vocals are always the main point alongside the incredible lyricism, making it easy to digest the storytelling in a raw, relatable manner.

‘strawberry ice cream’: A shorter track coming towards the end of the album, focusing on a delicate backing instrumental and her soft vocals that shine through, continuing the idea of the last track and possibly finding a calmer love,’he reminds me of strawberry ice cream’ , ‘he’s much sweeter’, reflects the title and the connotations of love and sweetness with strawberry and the colours red/pink. Another lyric,’I like him more than I thought’ reflects this perspective on the song. Followed by this uplifting piano, one you hear in love songs or romcoms (the lyric ‘he’s all the good parts of every movie scene’ make that more realistic). This one cuts off a little more suddenly into the last track but it keeps that transition between songs strong.

‘I’m Glad We Met:’ The last track, the title track is almost the conclusion of her diary or her storybook. ‘We’ll never know why, or whatever made our worlds collide, But I’m glad we met’. This could be reflective of her entire experience of previous heartbreak and new love but in the end, being grateful for the experience which is a beautiful ending to this emotional, thoughtful album. ‘You’re just a stranger I met And then changed my whole life What a thing we did right’, is the second to last verse, with a built instrumental to then end the last verse with isolated vocals and a simple piano beat, reverting back to how it sounded at the start. I love these lyrics as it encapsulates her experience and that she doesn’t have to see it as a bad thing now she is healed. Ending with a few taps of the piano and her authentic vocals, does make it feel like you are closing her diary or her journal, which shows authenticity in her work.

Overall, this album focused on incredible storytelling, showing Avery Lynch to be such an authentic singer – which is a huge element of how singers and songwriters find their audience and grow, and I see such importance in that authenticity. Her lyricism, backed by some other amazing songwriters, plays into that, making it feel deeper than just a simple piano sound and isolated vocals – it feels like a diary entry. I also am a big fan of how her tone sounds and can change with each song, with each track feeling so different when using different instrumentals, but still keeps to a melancholic feel, although the build in instrumentals in songs like ‘Rain’ and ‘Think about it’, are some of my personal favourites. There is different themes throughout the album of new love, heartbreak and self-growth with instruments such as guitar and piano and her own backing vocals being used to reflect that. I highly suggest to check out Avery Lynch’s new album below and the rest of her work: