Girlhood’s This Will Make Sense In The End is the kind of album that can only be crafted at a defining moment in your life.
In this case, it marks a new creative partnership between collaborators Christian Pinchbeck and Natalie Holmes, bringing a project that has undergone several line-up changes and iterations into a place of newfound clarity. The result is a collection of musings on navigating your thirties and the unfamiliar territory of a new chapter in life: romance, dating and the bittersweet realities that come with it.
What makes the record so enticing is its playful sonic palette, shifting between classic soul samples woven into its foundations, sweet, jaunty pop, jazzy flourishes and shades of R&B. Throughout, Holmes’ vocals effortlessly float over breezy rhythms and layered harmonies, exploring everything from navigating coffee shop dates to deciding whether someone is truly right for you, with food serving as a recurring metaphor along the way.
It's this relatability that gives these unconventional pop songs their edge. While the sun-soaked, colourful production already feels like a signature sound, it's the lyrics, filled with sharp wit and more profound reflections, that really make the project stand out.
From lead single ‘Lemon Aid’, a fresh, summery celebration of everyday life inspired by the picturesque surroundings of Stroud in the Cotswolds, to the unfiltered dating realities of ‘Picnic’ and the feeling of knowing you deserved more in the aftermath of a relationship on the sardonic ‘It Could Be Worse’, each song occupies its own emotional terrain. Yet, there's always an infectious melody and effortless sense of fun to carry those stories.
Album closer ‘Wouldn’t Change A Thing’ feels like the emotional centrepiece of the record: a celebration of being human, embracing relationships, mistakes, failed connections and everything in between. Rather than wishing to erase the past, it looks triumphantly towards the future, recognising that all those highs and lows have helped shape who they are today.
First emerging as Girlhood back in 2010 under the name Elephant, and having since undergone several line-up changes, the creative meeting of Pinchbeck and Holmes feels like a natural coming together. The stories, songwriting and sonic direction all seem to be moving along the same path. Bringing to mind everything from the playful indie pop of Camera Obscura and Belle and Sebastian to the soulful grooves of Jungle and the unapologetic attitude of Lily Allen, This Will Make Sense In The End is a record to really sink your teeth into before the year draws to a close.
Listen
here.
