Music artist Faye Webster.

Faye Webster is an American indie-pop singer, based in Atlanta, Georgia. With 7.3 million monthly listeners on Spotify, Webster has gained a loyal following throughout the years, during these years multiple of her songs have become popular across social media. Her most recent one being “I Know You” from her self-titled album. Other well-known Faye Webster songs include “Right Side of My Neck,” “Kingston,” “Jonny,” and “In a Good Way.” The appeal of Faye Webster is the relatability of the love life she sings about; wanting more from someone who will not meet you halfway. The all-consuming parasite that love enacts on the heart. The overbearing ache you feel for someone else, ending in your own consumption.

“The title of Faye Webster’s new album is inspired by her occasional compulsion to lose herself among concertgoers at the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra. Craving company and distraction but also leaning into the anonymity of a crowd,” Faye Webster’s Spotify Bio. Like her other albums, Undressed at the Symphony has a short track list of 10 songs and a runtime of 36 minutes. Throughout the review, the speaker in the songs will be assumed to be Faye Webster.

“But Not Kiss” was one of the four songs released as a single before the release of the album. “But Not Kiss” opens with the cruel lines of,

“I want to sleep in your arms, but not kiss.

I long for your touch, but don’t miss.

Don’t want to regret any of this.”

“But Not Kiss” is the deprecating self-awareness that comes with wanting a person you should not want. An intimacy that appears desirable because it is held at arm’s length. Once achieved, shame is the feeling that remains. Undressed at the Symphony is a deeply intimate album, that contradicts the themes of pseudo-intimacy.

The first track on the album “Thinking About You” sets the tone. Undressed at the Symphony consists of songs about another person, but they should not be considered love songs. It is an album about an absence of love, a symphony of loneliness. There is no truthful way to determine how many people Webster is singing about. Each song is focused on a person of affection, they still have distinct personalities.

Named after the album, “Undressed at the Symphony” is the ninth of the ten songs on the album. Loyal to its name, “Undressed at the Symphony” is the cumulative of the album. The lyrics can relate to other songs on the album. The lyrics, “Spending money just to feel something. At least go broke or let me heal from something,” connects to the previous track “eBay Purchase History.” “Undressed at the Symphony” has a different feeling of desperation compared to the prior tracks. Webster is more transparent about her frustrations and desires. The occasional autotune she utilizes conveys the strain this relationship has caused her. The first verse of the song being, “I’m depriving myself of happiness.” The track ends with the fading of a piano.

The last song, “Tttttime,” feels more of a defeat than an acceptance. The repetition of time represents the seemly never-ending feeling of loneliness Webster experiences. Loneliness is a constant factor in her life, either in the dating scene or interacting with others during night outs. Once listening to the album, feelings of uncertainty in life, longingness for love and belonging, linger.

Rating Undressed at the Symphony is difficult. It is not Faye Webster’s best album, but subjectively speaking Faye Webster has not released a bad album. Currently, Webster is on tour in the United States and soon Europe. If Faye Webster vocals in her music is appealing to you, artists Mazzy Star, Men I trust, and Panchiko are a few suggestions.

Final Rating: 3.8 Shields out of 5