The Weekly Coos

Though hipster-like in tone, girl in red had been on my radar before the Taylor Swift co-sign and her time opening for some Eras Tour dates, but that co-sign was something that did bring me some delight as she has become one of the few exciting voices coming out of the more popular surfaces of indie music. Her debut was wonderful; dedicating itself to being more instrumental to identity politics in music than trying to muster some sense of attention through overly rustic punk-rock-like sonic notes. Unfortunately, her follow-up, I’m Doing It Again Baby, is a slight detachment, as she begins to be overt with the charm; a missed opportunity to be better than the first, it does have some good songs, but whiffs elsewhere. It’s trying hard with the production, which is more gleeful, but delivers a slightly forgettable sophomoric effort that doesn’t also benefit from having such swift pacing. It comes and goes without leaving much of an impact outside of a few tracks with a replayable vibe; much of that comes from the production by Matias Tellez, her collaborator from the first album who doesn’t seem to have shown much difference between the two, despite tonal shift; fortunately, it has some redeemable qualities.

Unlike girl in red’s debut, there is a tonal shift in the production—more so, it had an idea and never dipped below 90 with its ingenuity and input to its more punk-like and rustic aesthetic for something more pop-rock and commercialized. However, one aspect that doesn’t subside is her talent for storytelling, and she does that in a slightly kitschy way, like with her narrated vocals in between songs as if it’s getting described as more of a book instead of being free-flowing. An instance of this where cutesy charm doesn’t work comes in “You Need Me Now?,” a song with Sabrina Carpenter, that tries slightly hard to be provocative as a pop song that taunts those who have burned bridges. That isn’t to say every song that does so flounders trying to be more than it is; however, it doesn’t have the same juice that a song like “Serotonin,” besides the title song which feels in touch with an elevated aesthetic from the pop-like punk rock tinges of her debut. It’s angsty and understands the complexions of girl in red’s vocals, allowing for something wonderful amidst the flow of try-pop.

Much of the production continues to be done by Marie Ulven Ringheim (girl in red) and her producer from her debut, Mattias Vellez, with some co-production on three tracks. Together they showcase a solid consistency between the two projects, specifically in the strings which contain a similar sense of punk rockabilly angst to contrast some of its more poppy tones, whether through the melodies or synths. Much of it comes in the middle of the album, as Ringheim surrounds tracks “Too Much” to “A Night to Remember” with quality. Still, those in between the mentioned don’t try to elevate past the known, unlike “Ugly Side,” which plays swimmingly with the melodies in the chorus, giving it more of a fleeting but fun inquisitive tone. It makes the more tried and simple vocals of “Phantom Pain” feel weaker than the first few listens as you know there is a direction Ringheim could take with Vellez and doesn’t do so, like with the flatlined mediocrity of tracks like “Too Much” and “A Night To Remember,” where much of it doesn’t feel as refreshing. That isn’t to discredit the writing as Ringheim does come with something to say, and more so than Taylor Swift did on her latest album, but it doesn’t elevate the bad to be better.

Ringheim’s writing is more grounded and humbled; she’s reflecting on her qualities and mediating like a therapy session without feeling much like it. She’s original with her slight confrontational lyrics that keep you interested in what is being said through the mold, even if the final product isn’t as cracked up as it should be. I felt a little steam just waiting for it to pick up, but it never truly does, leaving you fragments of a whole that could be amazing. Unfortunately, Girl In Red has only seemed to change tonal complexions, which may be a detriment as it doesn’t offer anything different from her debut. It’s another disappointment from these emerging acts that I love—I know the consistency remains potent, but the musicality has a rough time connecting thus leaving some songs stuck within this void of forgetfulness. Though that may sound harsh, the highs are exponentially so, and I know I will return to those before anything else on the record. I hope that rings for you too, and if you liked it more that’s even better. Girl in Red is awesome and more should listen.