Indigo De Souza - All of This Will End
Indigo De Souza
All of This Will End
All of This Will End is a reflection of disappointment, regret, frustration, and coming of age - but it never feels hopeless. Instead it maintains its ‘what doesn’t kill me, makes me stronger’ aesthetic.
By: Heidi Bray
We're all going to die.
For some, this painful reminder is a powerful motivator. It was a mantra for Steve Jobs, something he encouraged others to tell themselves in front of the mirror as the ultimate "nothing-to-lose" reminder.
For others, the inescapable fact is debilitating and the opposite of motivating.
On All of This Will End, the powerful third album from Indigo De Souza, the overarching feeling is the former. Is there pain along the way? Yes. Do we look back at moments and life and wish things had gone differently? Absolutely. But there's power in reflection and taking power back by acknowledging it.
Through an impressively direct lyrical assault and clever songwriting, De Souza holds our hand through a swift 32 minutes, trusting us with some of her most intimate and intense memories. Despite this, All of This Will End never feels hopeless but instead reminds us that what doesn't kill us can make us stronger.
Photo by Charlie Boss
“You can be a dick to me, it’s what I’m used to.”
The precision isn't just lyrical, as seven of the album's eleven songs clock in under three minutes. Each note and bar feels full of weight and importance - filled tightly with emotion that's been waiting to burst out for years.
The eruption reaches its most cathartic on "Wasting Your Time" - a hard rock riff baring its teeth and punching the listener in the face. Even with a raw and rough song sitting in the middle of the record, it neatly balances itself and the album out by effortlessly sinking into softer verses that give us time to catch our breath.
Maintaining its indie-rock sound, earworms are tucked in every nook and cranny of All of This Will End. On the title track, the melody wraps wonderfully around De Souza's voice, sticking in our heads for hours.
While her vocals and lyrics are often unusually upfront, they blend with the instruments, sometimes too much, creating an album that is wholly and entirely her sound.
All of This Will End feels like De Souza removing a gigantic stone from an emotional backpack she's been carrying for years. Here, we see a talented songwriter fully stepping into her own, nowhere more apparent than on the album's closing track, "Younger & Dumber."
Where previous moments on the record surround De Souza's vocals, here, it's stripped back, allowing her vocals to shine and standalone. Nothing sums up the questions and reflections of the record more than here, showcasing an honest and brave musician bearing her soul like an open book.
On All of This Will End, Indigo De Souza embraces pain instead of running from it.
