At the beginning of March, alternative and indie fan-favorite Faye Webster released her fifth album titled Underdressed at the Symphony. Originally from Atlanta, Georgia and with a heavily influenced upbringing of musical talent in her blood- this album did not disappoint. 

The title is inspired by her attendance to the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra. Oftentimes she would find herself going to seek distraction or comfort in the large crowd, buying her ticket last minute. This decision often resulted in being ‘underdressed.’ This album explores experimental sounds and represents the choice to let her life’s moments play through this album.

“But Not Kiss” was the first single released last year as an anticipated opening to the new album. Through the whole song, Webster is being tormented by her opinions on her romance, battling wanting her old flame back but, yet not letting it all resurface. The sound of piano is the most prominent with her somber tone, “But Not Kiss” easily accompanies her usual instrumentation of guitar and vocals.

The only feature on Underdressed at the Symphony has the combined talents of longtime friends Lil Yachty and Webster on another single, “Lego Ring.” The whimsical track is made up of the lyrics from the two Atlanta natives “I want a lego ring / I want it to hurt my finger / I want a lego ring / I want it crystal clear.” The meaning behind Lego Ring is to explore those complex and painful emotions, backed with a low bass line, these lyrics are to be said as they were, without being too deep. 

After “Lego Ring” finishes abruptly, “Feeling Good Today” follows with Webster’s singing and listing off of things that she has to do on that particular day. For the entire 86 seconds, there is only Webster’s voice altered by a vocoder and a guitar. The lyrics “That way my dog goes outside / My neighbors know his name / Thought that was weird, but I’m over it” are a direct representation of who she is, letting her humor fill her lyrics of simple lists, and why she is in a good mood. 

“Lifetime” follows promptly after, and is at a different pace compared to the other songs. This track is much slower. The instrumentals follow the relaxed picking of the guitar, drums keep the light beat, and violins follow in the background. The lyrics are very minimalistic as there are only four different stanzas “Can’t imagine me / Before you,” “When I said I knew him / Didn’t really mean it”, “Every minute / You are in it” and “No conversation / I get you verbatim.” They all end with ‘in a lifetime’ and continue on until the end. “Lifetime” is a use of personifying space and abundance in her sound, being a good change of pace to the other tracks.

The final track of Underdressed at the Symphony is “Tttttime,” where the title actually emulates how she sings “T-t-t-t-t-t-t-t-time” as she references all the time she has to draw out the word. There is a sense of longing for something else throughout this long period of time, nothing seems to pinpoint this thought, but she is stuck with it all this time. Her original and organic sound is found at home in this track, with ample guitar and piano against her soothing voice.

Underdressed at the Symphony has playful energy all over, weaved by the expertise of Faye Webster. Not every song needs to have a deep backstory, because Webster allows for her listeners to use their memories to connect to the song. Each song can be personalized by each individual. Therefore, this album gives a unique experience for each person- a mature skill from an artist like herself.