Review By Emily Racanelli
If you’re like most girls in their late teens/early 20s, some of your fondest childhood memories involved coming home from school and sitting in front of the t.v. to watch Lizzie McGuire. After that half hour that flew by way too quickly, you’d grab your CD player and start blasting Metamorphosis, jumping up and down on the bed while singing “Let the rain fall down, and wake my dreams!!” Those were certainly the days!
Fast forward a decade, and times have changed. Disney Channel has replaced Lizzie McGuire with shows about talking dogs and that CD player swapped for an ipod carrying anything from Mayday Parade to J. Cole--and maybe a little Beartooth every now and then. It’s not just you that’s changed; teen pop icon Hilary Duff has as well! Marriage, motherhood, and divorce have certainly consumed much of the 27-year-old’s attention as of recent years, which would explain why she faded out of the music scene after the release of Dignity in 2007. However, she has returned with a power-pop anthem equally as entertaining and catchy as the songs we grew up on--even if the themes may have changed a bit.
Breath In. Breath Out., the fifth studio album by Duff, is an affirmation that the former Disney Channel starlet has moved from behind the t.v. screen of a 12-year-old and into the spotlight! Gone is the childlike innocence from Metamorphosis, replaced by a mature voice and and new motives, as is indicated by “Sparks.” The best part of the song doesn’t even come from the lyrics or even the music--it is in that insanely catchy whistling that rings in my head for days later. It plays in the background as Duff sings, “You can promise castles, treasures, babies/I don’t care/Cause for now you’re just enough for me/I want you near.” It’s strange to listen to Duff singing about babies and boyfriends, because the last time she had a new song out it was eight years ago and she was a mere child. Despite this, I’m elated that she has returned to the studio to once again share her music with the world. A part of me is permanently clinging to the “Come Clean” era, but I’m learning to move forward.
Speaking of permanent, I’d be insane not to mention the clear standout of the record, “Tattoo.” Having heard that this was co-written by Ed Sheeran, the bar was definitely set a little higher than I usually have it for pop music. It far exceeded my expectations and provided a balance to the record, taking on a more serious demeanor than the other songs. There isn’t enough space for me to quote all the lines that hit home for me, so I’ll do my best to single out the ones that cracked open that dent in my chest once reserved for pop punk and emo songs. In the chorus is the line, “These scars were the way that you loved me.” Think about it, for a pop song there’s some real meaning in that. All of us are sinking in our scars, whether they be the ones resting on the surface of our skin or hiding in the crevice of our minds. Somebody left them there, and even if self-inflicted, somebody drove you to create them. They are the love and the hatred and the time wasted on people who came and went. Scars fade but don’t disappear. As hard as that hits, it’s a lyrics towards the end of the song that creates a dark imagery: “See these scars leaving blood on my little white dress.” There comes a point where the scars break and the memories of our past come back to get us and damage who we are now. You might think things are behind you, but we all carry some kind of tattoos.
Enough of all the melancholy. I doubt “Tattoo” was meant to be that serious, but I guess any song can be pretty intense if you listen to it in the right--or wrong?--mindset. From sinking in memories to moving on from them, let’s talking about the title track, “Breathe In. Breathe Out.” Another song about reminiscing, this one takes on a lighter and more uplifting note, saying “I know that I’ll survive/ Until I feel alright/I’m gonna fake it/Breathe in, breathe out.” Finally, we have encountered a pop song that has a decent message to it and is more than just filler over electronic music. Along with “Tattoo,” this one is extremely relatable and I’m sure every one of the millions of people who have played this song on Youtube can draw upon a time when they felt the same way. We can close our eyes and picture that ex boyfriend, girlfriend, best friend, etc. who held our world and walked away from it. We can tell them the lines, “I remember when we had too much too dream/I was hanging on your words like I’m sixteen” and mean it, because we have lived it. We have lived through it all but still find a way to breathe in and breathe out at the end of the day.
Hilary Duff knows more than anyone what it’s like to have to remind yourself to keep breathing. We go through setbacks and hit some turbulence on the road to success, but you just have to keep going. There comes a time where Lizzie McGuire is all grown up and those after-school snack breaks are replaced by SAT prep classes. We all have to grow up, but we don’t need to let go of ourselves in the process. Make music, live life, and just keep doing what makes you happy. That’s what life’s all about, and Breathe In. Breathe Out. exemplifies this perfectly. Keep moving forward and be bold, because why not take a crazy chance?
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