Sling by Clairo-review

Claire Cottrill’s sophomore album ‘Sling” delivers a mature outlook on her life at this moment, the future and the idea of motherhood. 

Deviating from the bedroom/indie-pop of her debut ‘Immunity’, ‘Sling’ takes on more of a folk sound with heavy inspiration from artists like Joni Mitchell and Carole King. Accompanied by producer Jack Antonoff, who helped produce ‘Norman Fucking Rockwell’ by Lana Del Rey and ‘1989’ by Taylor Swift, Clairo is able to explore the trials and tribulations of being in the music industry, along with issues she’s faced as an adult-a contrast to ‘Immunity’ which tackled the transition from adolescence to adulthood.

‘Bambi’ starts the record with Claire describing her thoughts within the industry and how she feels she lacks control, feeling alone and without guidance, much like the character of Bambi herself. There is a circular moment within the tracklisting: both the first and last track, ‘Management’, explore the helplessness she feels, experiencing a certain exploitation to make money rather than an appreciation of her as an artist.

‘Amoeba’ follows ‘Bambi’, the subject matter exploring more of the toll her job and rise to success has had on her relationships. Interviewed by ‘Rolling Stone’, Claire expressed how this song holds her to account for her failure to be there for the people around her. Sonically, ‘Amoeba’ stays truest to the sound from her previous record, following a more upbeat tempo accompanied by electric guitar rather than the piano we see prevalent on the LP. The idea of relationships and the critique of one’s self are also seen clearly in ‘Little Changes’ and ‘Reaper’-both songs demonstrating Claire’s improvement as a vocalist with ‘Reaper’ tackling the idea of motherhood as a woman.

Lead single ‘Blouse’ features a hushed folk guitar, with Claire singing about sexualisation detracting from her artistry. Heartbreaking lyrics showcase her improvement as a lyricist who is able to tackle an issue with delicacy and complexity, seen in the production of the song as well as the depth of the instruments, specifically the acoustic guitar which is at the forefront of the song.

‘Sling’ is an album about maturity, feeling like you’ve grown up too fast, dealing with the responsibilities of adulthood. With the background of acoustic guitar and hushed pianos, Clairo is able to provide comfort and reassurance whilst dealing with a lack of comfort and reassurance in handling newfound responsibilities.