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In March 2023, Suki Waterhouse starred in “Daisy Jones & The Six” on Amazon Prime. Nearly a year later, she took the Coachella stage just six weeks after having her baby. Over the summer, she opened for Taylor Swift on the Eras Tour at Wembley Stadium in London. Waterhouse never stopped, releasing songs in the last year leading up to the full album, “Memoir of a Sparklemuffin.”

Released on Sept. 13, the artist’s sophomore album shows off the indie-pop genre at its best. A mix of yearning, reflection and hopeful indifference, the dreamy sound Waterhouse curates carries listeners through the album.

In the album title, “Memoir of a Sparklemuffin,” Waterhouse links herself to the peacock spider of the same nickname. Waterhouse appreciates the spider’s personality because of its bright colors and dances, she told the Associated Press. A “Memoir” concerning the spider hints at the album showing Waterhouse’s deep emotions and experiences.

Waterhouse kicked off the album release week with the music video for “Model, Actress, Whatever.” The song and video convey a sense of misery about being in the public eye. Waterhouse’s anguish leans into indifference.

“Call me a model, an actress, forever / F*ck what you’ve heard / About me at my worst,” Waterhouse sings.

Waterhouse entered the entertainment industry at age 16 as a model. After being in the industry for 16 years, she almost has an ennui about it – no longer caring how the public perceives her.

After performing at Coachella, many people took to the internet upset that a new mom would be away from her baby. On Emma Chamberlain’s podcast, Waterhouse admitted she and Robert Pattinson’s careers would make it difficult to raise a child. Still, this song’s lyrics show that despite her seemingly resigned mentality toward fame, she still values her career.

Waterhouse released the music video on Sept. 10, just three days before the full album dropped. The early video release is clever as it tells listeners to appreciate the 18-song album and leave aside their assumptions about her. She told the AP she wanted to play into the stereotypes and felt empowered by the song.

Waterhouse shifts between a very upbeat rock and a slower indie sound throughout the memoir. She uses both sounds to express her feelings of hope alongside a deeper longing.

In the first song, “Gateway Drug,” Waterhouse compares herself to the titular object, begging her man to get hooked on her. In doing so, Waterhouse also hooks listeners and prepares them for the album’s emotional journey.

“Gateway Drug” highlights the prevailing themes of the album. She wants to be with this person, yearns for them – just as many listeners have done themselves. But she takes it a step further, literally begging for her man to have one taste and get addicted to her.

Waterhouse’s emotions throughout the album are raw and gritty. She uses this space to relay the biggest emotions she feels – honing in on the “Memoir” nature of the album.

The second track, “Supersad,” turns listeners toward finding a new point of view as she moves from pessimism to optimism. The song continues one of Waterhouse’s themes of reflection on her past.

Several of Waterhouse’s songs enter mesmerizing repetition. In “Supersad,” Waterhouse tells listeners there is “no point in being supersad,” while at the same time repeating the phrase, creating a sense of irony. Her sarcastic humor reinforces the indifferent and melancholic vibes she carries throughout the album.

“To Love,” initially released in 2023, follows a similar pattern, though a more romantic one. She reminds listeners of the intoxicating nature of love. Waterhouse recognizes the difficulty “to love,” but expresses her relief and gratitude to feel it.

“To love, to love, to love / Ah-ah-ah, ah-ah-ah / Oh, how lucky we are,” she sings.

Waterhouse’s repetition in these songs expresses her inability to escape her mind and feelings. Instead, she embraces her feelings because she knows she won’t get out of feeling them.

In every song, whether romance- or career-focused, Waterhouse expresses a sense of liberation, finally being able to share how she feels about her past.

Waterhouse’s album is a collage of her emotions, and while some have criticized the length of the album, she crafted her “Memoir” wisely with its 18 tracks.

Maybe next time, Waterhouse should keep some singles to herself before the release date, as she released seven of the 18 in the year before the album – though the hints and teases of the overall project buoyed fans’ excitement.

Following her debut album “I Can’t Let Go,” Suki Waterhouse extends what she does best. Her more nuanced second album solidifies her standing in the indie-pop genre as a proudly emotional artist who uses her own feelings to relate to listeners.

Published on September 17, 2024 at 10:13 pm

Contact Rosina: rlboehm@syr.edu