Faye Webster’s ‘Underdressed at the Symphony’
Words by Shea Greenberg
Attention yearning overthinkers! Indie star and amateur yo-yoist Faye Webster has just released her fifth studio album, Underdressed at the Symphony. Recorded entirely at Sonic Ranch in the U.S./Mexico border, the album maintains Webster’s unique blend of indie-rock, R&B, and country while experimenting with new Latin rhythms and instrumentation, among others.
Image credit: Michael Tyrone Delaney
Webster’s lyrics remain blunt and contemplative as ever as she walks us through a new era of her life—heartbreak. But Underdressed at the Symphony establishes a tone far from the melancholy of previous hits like ‘Hurts Me Too’ and ‘Jonny’, rather developing an honest and often humorous glimpse into her post-breakup restoration.
One standout ‘But Not Kiss’ pairs a heavy drumbeat with striking bolero piano chords and her hallmark pedal steel guitar, creating a chilling sonic environment before she almost whispers “I long for your touch…” She breathes space between clauses, hanging on her words and strumming lightly until the rock beat returns and she finishes “...but don’t miss.” The ballad captures ambivalence towards her relationship, and its ambiguous and contradictory lyrics speak to anyone who’s struggled with an indecisive or untimely romance.
The mood lightens at the album’s midpoint with ‘Feeling Good Today’, a barely 90-second tune following the arguably funniest part of the release—a Lil Yachty feature. ‘Feeling Good Today’ represents everything we love about Faye, as she narrates the joys of her day including waking up before noon, taking her dog outside, and buying something dumb because she just got paid. Not only relatable, her honest lyricism compels us to take life slow and celebrate small victories as we navigate reinventing ourselves through difficult changes. It’s also exciting to hear Webster have fun and explore brighter sounds, both with auto-tuned vocals and light piano melodies reminiscent of the Pokemon covers she gleefully performs in her live shows.
Nearing the end, the titular ‘Underdressed at the Symphony’ reestablishes quintessential Faye in what feels closest to a breakup song on the album. Webster explained that following her split, she’d often decide last-minute to go to the symphony, a world foreign to her that provided an escape. In the refrain, she asks rhetorically whether her ex experienced similar impulses, to which she admits “I doubt it.” In a callback to her recent EP Car Therapy Sessions, she interrupts one verse with a grand orchestral flourish, briefly injecting whimsy before landing us softly back at a familiar pensive trail accompanied by a bossa groove. As in many of her singles, Faye is once again lost in her head over a man; anyone who has ever claimed to be “just a girl” can empathize.
Faye Wester refuses to end on a somber note, though, reminding us all that we have ‘Tttttime’ and can afford to take a breath and reconnect with ourselves when needed. At only 26, she does not claim to seek closure or have all the answers; instead, she aims to live truthfully and share raw moments, juxtaposing hopeful and bleak ideas to paint a blurry yet candid picture of young adulthood. Underdressed at the Symphony succeeds at documenting Webster’s journey from longing to heartache to rest and rebirth, venturing deeper into her alt-rock/country niche while coloring outside the lines by masterfully playing with space, electronic sounds, and a broad instrumentation.
