With her doting cuts and delicate narratives, sitting in the same vein as artists such as Phoebe Green, Pixey, and Lauran Hibberd, Ozard champions sugary-sweet soundscapes (“how are you holding up?”) and girl-power (“miss american dream”) in an often male-dominated industry.
Following on from her breakout EP let’s play pretend, and 2022’s Water Based Lullabies, Ozard’s debut full-length record, Everything Still Worries Me is an intoxicating navigation of mid-twenties confusion (“i dont know happiness without you”), the downfalls of social media (“days like these”), and boasts subtle juxtapositions throughout (“party 4 1”, “space for two”) as she ventures for a sense of identity. This new sonic era sees a more mature songwriting approach that sees Ozard at her most open and honest as she draws on her experiences to offer support and comfort to her steadily expanding fan base.
Greeted with immediate angelic vocals, opening track “the window” sets the tone for the rest of the record – overt bubble-gum pop melodies, poetic and highly visual narratives, and love letters to youth as Ozard ponders, “where did all the time go?”. “how are you holding up?” follows in the same vein, with infectious percussive beats that makes the track an instant indie anthem and urges the importance of checking in on your friends. One of the longest tracks on the record, “anything for you”, strips back for a complete tonal shift, complete with sultry vocals and eerie electronic flourishes.
Shunning the digital age, “days like these” reflects on the pressures of perfection with filters and face tuning forced by social media platforms (“And now the girls feel they can't be loved / Cos their faces aren't tuned enough”), and the addictive nature of doom scrolling (“Pain in my thumb / 'Cos I've been scrolling all my way through lunch”). Despite harrowing themes, “days like these” is a subtly delicate track that offers up delicate harmonies that allow thin beams of optimism to shine through.
Following on, lead single “i dont know happiness without you” navigates the chaos and tumultuous nature of early adult life and the insurmountable pressure to have ‘everything figured out’ (“I never changed when I was 18 // now all our friends are having babies”). Wholly relatable and oddly comforting, the take-away message is to simply just have fun, and that’s perfectly demonstrated through soaring vocal performances and the track’s instrumental explosion just before the 90-second mark.
Boasting acoustic melodies and soft intonations “i miss when we were just friends” reflects on regret and finds itself paired with the narrative of “party 4 1”. Both tackle being single in your 20s and are self-contained in lush pop melodies.
Collaborative effort “miss american dream” sees Ozard enlist the help of Liverpudlian rising star Pixey as the duo deliver an ode to platonic love, in ultimately a fantastical celebration of friendship and not overlooking the small joys in life. Where this track shines a light on happiness, titular cut “everything still worries me”, brings Ozard back to Earth with reflections on lingering self-doubt and underlying anxieties.
Closing number, “think for yourself”, rounds off the album with a final message from an ai-generated voice – “I want you to close your eyes, and picture your happy place”, before Ozard takes to the mic once more before an anxious cacophony rises up in a maelstrom of instruments to bid farewell.
At an impressive bakers-dozen in length, Everything Still Worries Me is an impressive debut record from the rising pop-princess. Abbie Ozard is a sure-fire one to watch.
