Album Review: Faye Webster Embraces Breakups, Fame Disillusionment, and Absurdity While ‘Underdressed at the Symphony’

Swathed in shades of cerulean, Faye Webster embraces feeling blue as she mixes heartache and dissatisfaction with comedy on her fifth studio album, Underdressed at the Symphony.

Written by Julianna Riccioli

Whether you’ve seen her blowing up on TikTok or performing an enchanting set at a sold-out show, Faye Webster captivates listeners as she cultivates her mellow, low-key musical style on her newest record.

After her start in portrait photography, Webster developed her own musical career, leaning into indie, country, and R&B genres. Over time, she’s preserved her distinct contemporary alt-country sound while navigating fame and evolving her musicality to include instrumental arrangements and hyper-aware lyrics.

With her new record, Underdressed at the Symphony, Webster shifts from the overtly sardonic tone of her 2021 album I Know I’m Funny ha ha to incorporate the mature sound listeners heard in 2022’s Car Therapy Sessions, in which she reimagined her songs by adding sweeping orchestral arrangements. Like Car Therapy Sessions, Underdressed carries listeners through a symphony of comedy and tragedy. Her new album reminds listeners that they’re hearing from a matured Webster who can laugh at the absurdity of love while still delivering an emotive song about breakups and fame disillusionment.

Songs like “Thinking About You” and “Tttttime” emphasize Webster’s inclination to continuously sing choruses to the point of exhaustion. While the heavy repetition has become ingrained in Webster’s style (see: “Better Distractions”), the simultaneous pleading and detached nature here pairs well with Webster’s laid-back sound. “Thinking About You” details the closeness of a couple that has recently gotten back together. Webster drawls, “You said you were sure it’ll work out this time / I’m holding you to it…” highlighting the dependent state Webster’s fallen into, especially the chorus’ repetition of “I’m thinking about you.” This repetition leaks Webster’s desperation into the audience, adding to the emotionality rather than taking it away.

“Tttttime” falls into a similar pattern of repetition but comes to the grim conclusion that answers “Thinking About You”’s unasked questions. Webster croons, “I don’t know what to do / I’m alone but what’s new / I got time,” and the relationship has ended. The hazy repetition of these lines could create a dissonance between the listener and the track, but because they’re accompanied by Webster’s entrancing, intimate delivery, they add to the song’s emotive elements rather than create distance. Additionally, the variation of instrumentation on both tracks, like the dainty chime of a glockenspiel, lilting piano, and overlaid guitars on “Thinking About You,” and the use of violin, cello, and flute on “Tttttime,” offer an engaging back and forth between classical and modern sound, as well as a contrast with the tone of the lyrics. The lyrical repetition induces a calming atmosphere for the audience, luring listeners into a rhythmic expectation for where the songs will go. Given their placement as the introductory and concluding tracks on the album, Webster gently eases the audience into the record with a meandering track like “Thinking About You,” and gracefully concludes with the peaceful “Tttttime,” which, when surrounded by ballads like “But Not Kiss” and the crescendos of “Underdressed at the Symphony,” is a welcome tranquility.

In “But Not Kiss,” Webster softly serenades, “I want to sleep in your arms …” then quickly adds “... but not kiss” as the bass and piano rush in after her lyric, setting a more rock-oriented tone for the track. The song first appears to be a reminder to appreciate the intimate moments of relationships, but as it continues with lyrics like “We’re meant to be but not yet / You’re all that I have but can’t get,” Webster casually reveals the relationship she’s singing about is over, and she’s longing for proximity to her former lover. In an interview with Rolling Stone Australia, Webster explained the track is “about having a lot of care for somebody, but it being really bad for you.” This track features a pedal steel, which creates shimmery tones and a dreamy component to contrast the alt-rock sound. So, the instrument variation offers an interesting mirror to the uncertainty of Webster’s lyrics about her relationship.

Photo courtesy of Essie at Melodic Magazine

“Wanna Quit All the Time” is a notably lighter, tropical-sounding track that contrasts with Webster’s lyrics of insecurities about herself and her career. She sings, “I used to be self conscious / Well really I still am,” only to wind up at the grim resolution in the chorus, “I think I’ll figure it out.” Overlaid by a mellow electric guitar and enthusiastic percussion, the musicality of this track offers a fun side to accompany the lyrics detailing heartbreak, imposter syndrome, and feeling overwhelmed. Throughout this album, Webster doesn’t shy away from her senses of disillusionment, but embraces them, and this track exemplifies that message. Additionally, “Wanna Quit All the Time” and later, “eBay Purchase History,” feature the discontinued Fender Rhodes piano, which has a warmer, bell-like tone compared to a traditional piano, giving the songs their welcoming atmosphere. This instrument, along with the pedal guitar, works against Webster’s dismal lyrics and desire to “quit all the time.” Webster embraces her feelings of disenchantment, then slashes it by utilizing cheery instrumentation. “eBay Purchase History” similarly leans into Webster’s self-deprecation. She sings, “I’m always bored and I’m never satisfied,” recognizing her faults while making fun of them.

“Lego Ring” offers an element of lightheartedness as the only collaboration on the album, with Webster’s childhood friend and fellow Atlantan Lil Yachty joining her on the grungy song. All Webster wants is “a lego ring … to hurt my finger,” echoing the same kind of self-destructive habits mentioned in “But Not Kiss.” Beautiful yet fuzzy and distorted harmonies prove to be the shining elements of the track, in which Webster and Yachty (the latter with ghostly, highly-pitched, autotuned vocals) sing, “I know what I like / I know what I want / But you know I kinda need.” This track plays to both Webster and Yachty’s experimental artistic reputations while paying homage to childhood and pre-fame life. The pedal steel guitar continues to hauntingly vibrate behind them, along with a permeating electric Wurlitzer piano and a warbling violin and cello. Highlighting Yachty’s verse are the boosted bass guitar and the charming, friendship-focused slant rhyme, “You and me are like a dream team / Always together like string beans.”

Similar to “Wanna Quit All the Time,” the hyper-autotuned “Feeling Good Today” reimagines Webster’s perception of the self through the unexpected synthesized nature of her voice, which offers contrast between the content of the lyrics and the musicality. Webster croons in a buzzed, layered voice, “I’m feeling good today / I ate before noon / I think that’s pretty good for me.” While using a vocoder, Webster manages to sound relatable without being overly cheesy, embracing the album’s heavy themes of embracing oneself through a lens of knowing self-deprecation.

The tracks that epitomize the essence of Underdressed at the Symphony are “Lifetime” and “Underdressed at the Symphony.” The mesmerizing conglomeration of vocals, carefully arranged percussion, tides of swelling strings, and delicate piano melodies showcase Webster’s intricate understanding of pacing and composition into curated songs. In “Lifetime,” Webster strolls through each lyric, enchanting listeners with each repetition of “In a lifetime,” serenaded by the acoustic guitar, piano, trilling drums, and layered violins. Though Webster enjoys playing with the contrast between humor and heartbreak, “Lifetime” is the peaceful break in the middle of the album that centers listeners and Webster alike. “Underdressed at the Symphony,” however, details Webster confronting her ex after the breakup to tell him she “knows you haven’t told your mother yet / ‘Cause she invited me over again.” When she reaches the chorus, singing “I’m underdressed at the symphony,” the ensemble erupts into a brief, moving burst of orchestral song that feels both jarring and justified. These tracks capture the core spirit of Underdressed, with “Lifetime” showcasing Webster’s style of refrain in its longest state, and “Underdressed at the Symphony” reminding listeners of Webster’s technical prowess in composition, with both balancing between sentimental lyrics and sonic allure.

“He Loves Me Yeah!” intersperses cute moments between Webster and her lover with slightly heartbreaking moments of clarity, backed by a fun, pop-oriented sound. Webster brags, “My baby loves me …” while contrasting lines like “He pumps my gas so that I don’t get out,” with “He owes me money but I let it pass.” Similar to other tracks on the album, like “Wanna Quite All the Time” and “eBay Purchase History,” Webster engineers a plucky tune full of guitar, synth, and drums, to clash with her distressing lyrics.

In Underdressed at the Symphony, Webster captures the elements of her previous albums that made them so relatable and mellifluous, and she transforms them into an album of mature lyrics stacked against sophisticated yet absurd soundscapes. Throughout the album, Webster emphasizes the use of mismatched to highlight the dynamic between music and lyrical content, but also to reflect the real-life notion of imbalance, and the often discordant nature of existence, particularly when navigating fame and romance. She’s not trying to heal all wounds of relationships past, nor is she taking herself too seriously. No, Webster’s navigating love and sense of self just like the rest of us.

REVIEWSAfterglow ATXMarch 2, 2024julianna riccioli, faye webster, album review