Madeleine Tello
Staff Writer
“The Pains of Growing,” Alessia Cara’s most recent album, draws listeners in with its personal lyrics and upbeat sound. However, a lack of a diverse sound among the tracks makes the album lackluster and struggles to prove Cara’s claim to have grown as an artist.
Cara, a singer and songwriter who broke through the music industry in 2015, followed up her teenage soundtrack, “Know-It-All,” with a pop-R&B fueled record consisting of songs about her journey out of adolescence and into adulthood. “The Pains of Growing” was released on November 30, 2018 and the album’s lead single, “Growing Pains,” peaked at #65 on Billboard’s Hot 100 charts.
The album has a total of 15 songs, none of which contain any featured artists, and contains a few catchy songs but, unfortunately, the majority of the tracks are sonically too similar which ultimately makes Cara’s comeback album underwhelming. The album shifts from upbeat, bubblegum pop sounds in “Growing Pains” and “All We Know” to soft, lo-fi sounds in “I Don’t Want To” and “A Little More.” The album is a hopeful take on the difficulties Cara and other young people have faced such as bullying, depression and heartbreak while also empowering people to be optimistic about growing up.
Lyrically, the album resonates in listeners’ minds long after being played, emphasizing Alessia Cara’s strong songwriting abilities. However, it is sonically unadventurous and pays too much of a tribute to her previous album. Although the album is repetitive, it emphasizes the original pop-R&B vibe that Cara created in her previous album until now. “The Pains of Growing” is composed of tracks that are undoubtedly unique to Cara as an artist.
The first track on the album, “Growing Pains” is upbeat and inspires listeners with motivational lyrics. The song starts out strong with hopeful lyrics and a gradually upbeat, catchy sound. Unfortunately, the chorus is extremely repetitive and takes up most of the time in the song, which quickly bores listeners. The album also ends with a reprised version of the track, “Growing Pains (Reprise),” which features alternative lyrics and a softer, more lo-fi sound. “Growing Pains (Reprise)” was an unnecessary addition to the album and does not properly wrap up the album in the same way that the track before it does.
“All We Know” stands out as a bubblegum pop track with eye opening, defiant lyrics to counter it. It sets the foundation for the theme of agonizing yet necessary growth that Cara emphasizes in her album. This is the most prominent song on the album and perfectly encapsulates all the messages in each song on the album. “All We Know” is positioned in the middle of the tracklist and encourages the audience to continue listening to the album due to its upbeat sound and thought-provoking lyrics.
Overall, Alessia Cara’s “The Pains of Growing” is a respectable follow up to her previous album and showcases Cara’s extraordinary writing abilities. However, Cara fails to properly showcase her growth as an artist due to an extreme amount of repetition among the songs.
Alessia Cara’s “The Pains of Growing” can be purchased on iTunes for $9.99 and streamed on platforms such as Spotify or Apple Music.
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