U.S Girls — Bless This Mess — Album Review
Electronic | Pop
Listen on Spotify | Listen on Apple Music
I only really discovered the experimental pop project of Meghan Remy, known as U.S. Girls, because it was one that was recommended to me. And despite having quite the hefty backlog of albums I wanted to review already, I thought it best to still take the time to give her eighth studio album a spin. The name of the album in question; Bless This Mess.
I never really knew what I could quite expect from Bless This Mess. However, it probably wouldn’t be what we ended up getting. Contrary to what I thought U.S. Girls would sound like (and even Remy’s earlier material, from what I’ve heard), this album showcases Remy as a complete master of the electro-pop sound; one that is most certainly becoming more and more of a hot topic as recent years have passed. That being said, I was excited to fully dive into this one.
Despite (once again) going into this album without having listened to any of the teaser tracks (and furthermore, pretty much any of U.S. Girls’ prior material), there still managed to be a tracks or two that rang with a familiar sound. Either I heard some of the teaser tracks through the radio, or other peoples playlists, or the accessibility of this album really speaks for itself.
Bless This Mess brings us a sound and aesthetic that feels equal parts futuristic and current, which makes for a very apt mix for an album that fits itself into the electro-pop shere like this album does so well. That being said, however, there is definitely a generous handful of unique moments that allow the album to sonically shine.
Thematically, it felt very clear to me that Bless This Mess was strongly tied to the Lockdown that we all went through a few years back (god, I can’t believe that started three years ago already), and specifically the struggles of sharing love between one-another during those times. Nevertheless, with many listeners seeing the other side of that at this stage, it is a strangely enjoyable feeling to listen to an album that still focuses in those times. To add to that, U.S. Girls shines a light on the subject in a somewhat goofy fashion which is not to be taken seriously, but still enjoyed and appreciated.
Furthermore, that kind of narrative is one that is easy for listeners to grasp, thus only adding to the accessibility of this album.
Personally, I found myself really enjoying the more electronic-heavy cuts from Bless This Mess, as not only did this seem to be a style that Meghan Remy absolutely champions, as touched upon earlier, but also the juxtaposition against the themes of lockdown by being straight up party anthems. In other words, they allow an album such as Bless This Mess to stand as one whose vibes listeners will surely appreciate to the fullest.
In short, U.S. Girls stands as another great discovery of mine this year. And for an artist tht is aparrently as versatile as she is, this kind of electro-pop style is something that is done a true justice, in the case of Bless This Mess.
Favourite Tracks: Only Daedalus | Futures Bet | So Typically Now | Tux (Your Body Fills Me, Boo)
Least Favourite Track: Outro (The Let Down)
4AD Ltd
