Lizzy McAlpine Older
Released Apr 5, 2024 Indigo Blue/RCA Records
Consensus forming 3 professional reviews Updated Oct 3, 2026
Broadly positive consensus
Consensus is still forming across 3 professional reviews. Lizzy McAlpine's Older opens with a clear, confident voice and an expanded sonic palette that turns private revelations into widescreen moments.
How ChoruScore worksCritics' Top Tracks
The songs critics returned to most
Broken Glass
3 critic mentions
“the climax of “Broken Glass”, those same instruments can create intense, cinematic soundscapes” — The Line of Best Fit
I Guess
2 critic mentions
“single “I Guess” begins as a guitar ballad before instantly blowing up into an almost-overbearing array of instruments and choral vocals” — The Line of Best Fit
All Falls Down
1 critic mention
“On songs like “All Falls Down,” sweet woodwind and string harmonies can make songs feel wistful and airy” — The Line of Best Fit
Full critic consensus
Lizzy McAlpine's Older opens with a clear, confident voice and an expanded sonic palette that turns private revelations into widescreen moments. Across three professional reviews the consensus points to artistic growth: McAlpine trades some of the hushed bedroom intimacy of earlier work for chamber-pop swells and power-pop catharsis that foreground both lyricism and hooky ambition. The record earned a 76.67/100 consensus score across 3 professional reviews, signaling broadly positive critical reception with measured praise for its bolder production choices.
Critics consistently single out “Broken Glass” as the album's centerpiece, praising its storming climax and cathartic singalong potential, while “I Guess” is noted for transforming a guitar ballad into ornate, almost cinematic arrangements. Reviewers also highlight “Drunk, Running” for its cinematic strings and the way these tracks balance confessional songwriting with widescreen instrumentation. Themes that recur in the reviews include coming of age, balancing virality and artistry, intimate honesty, and an embrace of baroque pop flourishes that underline McAlpine's growth and agency as a songwriter.
While some critics flag sparser moments like the title track as less successful instrumentally, the general critical consensus frames Older as McAlpine's most ambitious, cohesive statement to date. For listeners wondering whether Older is good or what the best songs on Older are, the professional reviews point to “Broken Glass”, “I Guess”, and “Drunk, Running” as clear highlights. The summary below unpacks those perspectives and places Older in context as a coming-of-age record that stakes a claim beyond virality.
Track Ratings
How critics rated each track, relative to this album (0-100). Only tracks that made critics feel something are rated.
The Elevator
Come Down Soon
Like It Tends To Do
Movie Star
All Falls Down
Staying
I Guess
Drunk, Running
Broken Glass
You Forced Me To
Older
Better Than This
March
Vortex
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What Critics Are Saying
Deep insights from 3 critics who reviewed this album
Critic's Take
In this review Matthew Kim hears Lizzy McAlpine using Older to map a very specific coming-of-age, and he names tracks like “I Guess” and “Broken Glass” as where that mapping pays off most. He praises the album’s shift into ornate chamber pop, noting how “I Guess” explodes from a guitar ballad into a lush, almost overbearing arrangement, and how “Broken Glass” builds to an intense, cinematic climax. Kim is clear that the best tracks on Older are those that balance confessional lyricism with detailed strings and woodwinds, even as sparser songs like “Older” falter instrumentally. The result, he argues, is McAlpine’s finest work yet, a deeply honest record that sounds unmistakably like her.
Key Points
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I Guess is the best track for its dramatic shift from simple ballad to lush, overbearing arrangement.
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The album’s core strengths are its intimate, baroque pop instrumentation and candid, coming-of-age lyricism.
Themes
Critic's Take
Lizzy McAlpine’s Older finds her shrugging off the pressures of virality and leaning into craft, producing some of the best songs on Older such as “I Guess” and “Broken Glass”. The review’s tone is admiring and measured, noting how the woozy Americana lilt of “I Guess” and the grand swell of “Broken Glass” showcase a newfound confidence. There is also praise for the cinematic strings of “Drunk, Running”, which help the record feel both bold and understated. Overall, the critic frames these tracks as the album’s clearest successes because they balance lyrical intimacy with widescreen instrumentation.
Key Points
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The best song is best because it builds to a convincing, "grand swell" that signals emotional and musical growth.
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The album’s core strengths are confessional songwriting paired with widescreen instrumentation that balances boldness and understatement.
Themes
Ho
Critic's Take
Lizzy McAlpine arrives on Older with a clearer voice and bigger hooks, and the review makes a strong case for the best tracks on Older being the storming “Broken Glass” and its cathartic power-pop kin. Caroline Kelly’s prose is admiring and direct, noting a newfound confidence and sky-scraping anthems that turn personal awakening into singalong moments. The account centers on growth - lyrical savvy and stadium-ready swells - which is why “Broken Glass” emerges as the album’s standout in this review. The writing keeps a measured, appreciative tone, pitching Older as more than a TikTok phenomenon and instead a record that announces McAlpine as a compelling young songwriter.
Key Points
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The best song is “Broken Glass” because the reviewer calls it a fan-favourite, setlist stand-out and a declaration of agency.
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The album’s core strengths are lyrical growth and sky-scraping, cathartic indie power-pop anthems that signal artistic maturation.