Greta Gerwig's extraordinary director debut, Lady Bird, has received rave reviews from everyone who's anyone. A coming-of-age film like no other, the film follows Lady Bird's teenage torment through her last days of high school. Assured, opinionated and frighteningly independent, Lady Bird fights through a turbulent transition from high school to college, dealing with grotesque, manipulative boys and a battling a mother as defiant as herself. Rated 7.5 on IMDb, currently at 99% on Rotten Tomatoes and praise flooding in from every critic everywhere, it's fair to say this film has been a success.
This film proves two things. One, Greta Gerwig is worth keeping an eye on. Second, this nation loves a coming-of-age movie: Perks of Being a Wallflower, The Breakfast Club, Clueless, the list goes on. These films make us feel fuzzy inside, they give us this warm feeling that makes us want to snuggle up in bed with them. Over the last couple of years, particularly the last 12 months, this infectious and much beloved genre of film has filtered into music as artists have poured their bedroom thoughts and high school diary entries into their tunes. The result? Not too dissimilar from that of Lady Bird.
Some artists have produced full albums of coming-of-age anecdotes, some just drop these tales intermittently into their albums. Either way, it's clear this genre is 'on trend' right now.
Wolf Alice's 'Don't Delete The Kisses', a story that begins with Ellie Rowsell questioning whether love is even meant for her, yet finishes with her chanting "me and you were meant to be in love", could be a movie in itself. Rowsell pours her insecurities and self-doubt out in this spoken-word epic, but ends euphoric, that warm fuzzy feeling invading your body as you listen. Meanwhile Lorde's compelling, spell-binding Melodrama sees her dip in and out of personal anecdotes. Album highlight, 'Liability', sees her question whether she is too much for her friends, wondering whether she's just a toy people use until "all of the tricks don't work anymore". These are just two snippets of artists using their own anecdotes of personal struggle and growth in their music. However, in 2018, some artists have incorporated this genre into a full body of work.
Soccer Mommy's 2018 long play, Clean, sees her as defiant as Lady Bird herself. That raw, bedroom sound filters through in each song as Soccer Mommy shares her story. She shrugs off past lovers nonchalantly and stresses her desire to be seen as an individual. It's a record that sounds naive yet is anything but. A montage of a young girl laughing with friends, walking the streets of her town with a skip in her step plays through your mind as you listen.
At times it sounds cute and innocent but lean in closely and you can hear the bite and determination in Soccer Mommy's voice. There's still confusion throughout the record, as any coming-of-age masterpiece has and it's clear she's gone through hurt. However, in Clean, Soccer Mommy faces any past demons. Creating imagery similar to that of 'Lady Bird', a lonesome town in a state cut-off from any glitz or glamour, Soccer Mommy finds herself on Clean. She admits to her own shortcomings and her own failures, but accepts the mistakes others have made and crucifies them in her own innocent way.
Snail Mail's debut LP, Lush, appears more uncertain than Soccer Mommy's effort however, she too displays maturity throughout the record as she narrates her late-teenage years. There's an industrial feel to Snail Mail's sound, a determination to move on from her childish friends. She hails from Baltimore, a beautifully modest city that lacks the bright lights of NYC, but has a unique character of its own, much like many cities in our favourite coming-of-age films. Lady Bird set in Sacramento, Perks of Being A Wallflower in Pittsburgh, Submarine in Swansea, Snail Mail's personal endeavor is inevitably set in Baltimore and matches the DNA of most coming-of-age films. Self-critical at times, shown in 'Golden Dream', "stupid, stupid me", Snail Mail grows and unashamedly tackles the confusing aspects of relationships and accepts that negative experiences are okay, as long as you come out the other side. The satirical 'Pristine' sees Snail Mail reflect on past lovers, whilst 'Heat Wave' sees her defiant and determined, condemning another past lover's immaturity.
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