Pop Album Outros to Reassure It’ll Be Alright

In recent years, pop music has become increasingly introspective, but these album outros will reassure you that it’ll all be alright.

Written by Ellen Daly

Among many great alternative pop albums, there’s a common thread of complex introspection followed by a reassuring conclusion. In 2019 alone, five rising pop stars followed this album format, a pattern which proves the sincerity of the sentiments the young artists share.

Heard It In A Past Life ― Maggie Rogers

Rogers’s debut isn’t a linear narrative, but rather a collection of memories and lessons learned in the first 24 years of her life. She is, however, consistently introspective. She described the track “Overnight,” as “a love/heartache/panic/ecstasy letter from my new self to my old self.” Evidence of this approach to songwriting can be found on any track on the album, which sums up to be a collection of Rogers’s reflections on her life experiences, written by and for herself. Arguably a coming-of-age album, Heard It In A Past Life recalls periods of love, aimlessness, fervor, and, most importantly, growth. The album’s outro, “Back In My Body,” finds stability in one’s own life and comfort in one’s own skin. As Rogers repeats “This time, I know I'm fighting / This time, I know I'm back in my body,” she seems to promise that a sense of purpose and belonging is inherent to the human condition.

The Sun Will Come Up, The Seasons Will Change ― Nina Nesbitt

This album’s outro and titular track is the perfect conclusion to Nesbitt’s existential, emotional sophomore LP. As a song, “The Sun Will Come Up, The Seasons Will Change,” responds to the anxiety expressed in the album’s lead single, “The Moments I’m Missing,” where Nesbitt confesses personal doubt in the significance of her adolescent experiences. By the end, Nesbitt gets comfortable with the confusion that comes with the passing of time, singing: “My life's uncertain and sometimes it's strange / But one thing I've learned is it won't stay the same / Even in the darkness, I'll be okay / The sun will come up, the seasons will change.” The rest of the album tells stories of Nesbitt’s growing-up, discovering relationships and heartbreak, and anecdotally reflects on various turning points from adolescence to adulthood.

Saves The World ― MUNA

MUNA’s sophomore album, Saves The World, builds off the themes of heartbreak and obsession presented in the band’s debut, but comes back more confident and free from these emotional fixations. While their first album, About U, centered around a codependent ex-lover, Saves The World tracks like “Number One Fan,” “Stayaway,” and “Hands Off” argue that relationship status does not determine anyone’s worth. In “It’s Gonna Be Okay, Baby,” lead singer Katie Gavin autobiographically recounts the ups and downs of her early adulthood with an echoing reminder that “it’s gonna be okay.” The track is the quintessential reassuring outro.

Immunity ― Clairo

Clairo’s Immunity is nostalgic, tragic, and hopeful all at once. It’s her debut, so, fittingly, the album’s tracks recall memories from throughout the singer-songwriter’s 21 years. The album opens with “Alewife,” a sincere yet off-kilter story of Clairo’s middle-school struggle with depression, and the songs that follow tell tales of insecurity, unrequited love, breakups, and even the singer’s grappling with arthritis. Immunity’s seven-minute-long outro, “I Wouldn’t Ask You” certainly doesn’t overstay its welcome. It reminisces on a time Clairo was hospitalized due to her arthritis and the helplessness she felt at the time, but invites in an overarching theme of optimism with a children’s choir repeating the lines, “We could be so strong / We'll be alright, we'll be alright.” The kids bring a certain emotional rawness to the album that speaks to Clairo’s youthful sincerity.

Fine Line ― Harry Styles

A classic breakup album, Fine Line sees Harry falling in love, losing his lover, and never quite recovering. Opening tracks “Golden,” “Watermelon Sugar,” and “Adore You” are light-hearted and joyous and capture the feeling of a brand new relationship. Later, on “Cherry” and “Falling,” Harry grieves that same relationship to the point of self-deprecation. He attempts to recover from these feelings with happy songs like “Sunflower, Vol. 6,” “Canyon Moon,” and “Treat People With Kindness,” but outro “Fine Line” reminds listeners that it’s a fine line between these high highs and low lows. He suggests that we are always walking a tightrope between euphoria and devastation. Despite the repetition of the phrase “We’ll be a fine line,” Harry concludes with a couple “We’ll be alright”s to ensure that not all hope is lost.

The common denominator? Growing up is hard. First loves are hard, first losses are hard, becoming your own person is hard. These pop records tell familiar coming-of-age narratives with only anecdotal differences. It’s evident: each artist holds onto hope despite the hardships of getting older. The angst of transitioning into adulthood is real, but as long as these artists keep singing our sorrows away, we’ll be alright.

Afterglow ATXFebruary 3, 2020