Album Review: At The Beach, In Every Life

Hi guys! It's been a minute. I actually listened to this album a while ago when it first came out a year ago, but I figured I'd review it since it's its anniversary. It definitely was an album that took me a few listens to get into, but I really enjoy it.

Side note: "collide" with Gigi Perez and Hayley Kiyoko was just released for the Girls Like Girls movie, so you should listen to that too.

Album cover for At The Beach, In Every Life by Gigi Perez

Sailor Song

• This is the big single that went viral on TikTok and helped make Gigi Perez famous!! It really showcases her sound and stylistic choices, with strong, powerful vocals, acoustic guitar, and a raw performance.

• The lyrics follow a standard folk yearning, storytelling vibe that is very poetic and memorable. I think part of the reason the song went so viral is its fun, catchy chorus.

• The builds into each chorus are really impressive, and I love the little trumpet part that cuts in every now and then. Except it might be a cornet, but I can't really tell. I think it's a trumpet.

• There's also some piano and strings from what I can hear, and some light percussion, but overall, the song is pretty stripped back. It can be really difficult to have a fulfilling build with so few instruments, but the mixing on this album and the dynamics are just so fantastic. Every sound has its own home, and it's just so great to listen to.

Sleeping

• I was so obsessed with this song for a while, and I'm not entirely sure why. Maybe I was sad. I feel like I've had different phases with different songs on this album, but it took longer for me to listen to it as a whole cohesive piece.

• I really like the little soundbites with a little stutter before the bridge, and a little ringing sound after "you only drove me insane." The reversed synth? or other instrument is really fun and a common little sound on this album, but it takes a minute to pick out of the mix.

• The ending vocals and different harmonies/melodies blend together so well at the end, and it is definitely a highlight of this album, which is the ending cacophony. I love a little ending cacophony :D

Sugar Water

• I really like the distinction between each song on this album. People online said it was too repetitive and that the songs bleed together, which I'm assuming is due to the consistent instrumentation and overall sound. However, each song has a really distinct melody and beat, so I disagree with their takes.

• I like that this song doesn't have much of a repeated chorus, because I really do love a song that's more stream-of-consciousness. The "I want it back" refrain is great because it reminds me of old Lorde and angst. Excellent.

• This song ends with a kinda echoey wind-down, which also happens throughout the album, adding some dynamic flair and making sure the loud sections don't end up too overplayed or repetitive.

Normalcy

• This song starts a lot quieter, but is still emo, and there's some fun bass that cuts through in the chorus and sort of forewarns the louder builds in the later choruses.

• However, this song really highlights Gigi's unique voice, especially in the soft parts, which contrast so well with the louder belting in the middle. Even with the belting, we still have some awesome soft harmonies that are equally loud in the mix, so there's just a fun texture to the song.

• We end on a soft, sad note again, with just a little guitar, vocals, and a bit of starry/dazzley synth.

Nothing, Absolutely

• I would describe this song as being a little whinier. But there are some awesome runs, they're just so fun to listen to, even if the song is so sad.

• This song has a lot more synth stutters/stabs/whines in the chorus, and I thought they'd be more surprising given that our only backing is acoustic guitar, but everything blends really nicely. I'm a big fan, especially of the wide, panned guitar sound that is also a staple of this sound.

• I'm not sure how they do the reverb echoey vocals, but the guitar and vocals definitely sound like they get further away and closer throughout the song, which also adds some fun texture.

Single cover for "Chemistry"

Chemistry

• We are now in synth territory!! Never mind, we went back to guitar and vocals in the verse. YAY WE HAVE DRUMS!! The other songs have not had nearly as much of a beat as this song, but there's definitely some crazy momentum happening in this one.

• I like the beat and the little vocal stutters that blend as a percussive instrument. I also love the high synth whines. The guitar backs out a bit more when the synth comes in on the second verse, but then it is back and big leading up to the chorus.

• The vocal harmonies are great, and what's a bit unique is how loud they are, since for many of the choruses, Gigi likes to make the melody and its following harmony work almost like a complete vocal double.

• The choruses have a similar melody, but the lyrics change for each one, and the rasp on the last chorus is so so so good. It definitely scratches an itch in my brain. Once again, we end softly.

Survivor's Guilt

• I love an instrumental/spoken-word track break on an album because it gives a nice separation. It also lets more vocal artists just go ham on instrumentals. This one leads right into "Crown."

Crown

• I really wish I knew enough about production to explain exactly what is happening in the verse of this song. We open with some high-pass vocal effect, or some other telephone-style filter that makes it sorta sound like you're singing through a can. In the second part of the verse, we get this really awesome synth entrance, then the effect disappears, and we hear the vocals at the front of the mix again.

• We have some fun whooshes leading into the chorus, which has more bass and strings, so more instrumentation than some of the other songs. The vocal effect comes in again before the end of the sound, and I think the instrumental bridge is just so moving. If you wanted to convey some immense grief, this is a perfect way to do it. Our second-to-last chorus is big and belty again, and this is just a very painful, beautiful song.

Single cover for "Fable" by Gigi Perez

Fable

• If "Crown" is about the grief itself, "Fable" feels like all the s*** afterward.

• This is definitely one of my favorites off the album, and it's just so well done. Everything goes back to being stripped down to just guitar and vocals, but it's hard to even call it stripped when there's such a big vocal soundscape. There are so many harmonies happening that it truly is another instrument. Wow.

• The middle of this song is perfect. I would not change a single thing. There are little pockets of silence for you to take a breath before you're hit with just an immense wave of sound. Everything is so well balanced and mixed, and ugh.

• The sort-of bridge/interlude section is a little audio clip, which I always love in a song. The song also ends with more audio clips that blend with the singing. This song is so sad and beautiful, and if you had to listen to one from this album, it should be this one.

• Also, sidenote, if you listen to any live performances from Gigi Perez, they sound literally like the album, which is not easy to do at all.

Single cover for "Please Be Rude" by Gigi Perez

Please Be Rude

• We keep with the momentum of the album, with a slightly more upbeat song. I find it really impressive how pushy the guitar can be in maintaining a beat without any help from standard percussion, since all these songs feel like they are propelling me forward.

• We have some high harmonies before, and we are back to a more traditional verse-chorus format. The last few songs were more multiple-verse style.

• There are major synth drones in this song, rather than any big melody, and I like them a lot. They just add to the intensity without being distracting.

Twister

• MY FAVORITE SONG ON THE ALBUM!!!!!!!!

• I love this song. I think because it's just so different from the rest of the album, while still keeping all the things Gigi does best.

• We have an awesome drum beat off the bat, and there are like super short verses until all of a sudden, you're in the chorus. The chorus has these awesome autotuned vocals, and I LOVE autotuned vocals. The harmonies all come in on the second verse, and I just smile so much when listening. It's so well done, it's ridiculous.

• The second chorus has this fantastic, super-high, autotuned vocal melody, and it's the greatest thing ever. It adds to the build and momentum and changes what you originally expected, but not too much where you would be too freaked out.

• There's then a quiet bit, and then the greatest thing I've ever heard.

• We have this insane, like, blastbeat double-kick at the last chorus. I can't even describe it; you just have to hear it; it's so fun. I think this song just surprises you really well, and I love it when artists just surprise you towards the end of an album. This song is so underrated.

At The Beach, In Every Life

• This is a perfect closer. We end on a very similar note to "Sailor Song" with big guitar and vocals. In the entrance to the second verse, there's a little guitar chuck to herald all the guitars widening and also coming in. There's also a shaker in the chorus.

• There's this kind of dynamic thing where all the instruments come in and out, and it adds some texture to the song and makes it so nice to listen to. That's another thing that I can't describe well, which Gigi does really incredibly, where there's this lovely juxtaposition between loud and quiet sections. I'm not sure if it's mostly volume or additional vocal/guitar tracks coming in, but it's just building and building and building until we hit the chorus. Or go quiet completely, and then we do the whole thing all over again. Yay!

• Overall, such a great album and so masterfully done. 10/10.