Pip Millett’s debut album When Everything Is Better, I’ll Let You Know tells a tale of heartbreak, heartache, and personal growth. The album explores an entire spectrum of human emotions and documents them beautifully through her honest lyricism, dynamic sounds, and voice that conveys every emotion perfectly. The seventeen track album has a wide range of sounds from Millett. Many of the tracks feature all the aspects of Millett’s music that fans have come to expect like her buttery vocals, groovy bass, and strong beats but the album also gave listeners a look into a whole new sound for the singer. One of the aspects of the album that stood out to me was every two to three songs Millett featured an interlude. These interludes tended to be shorter and more stripped back becoming a perfect opportunity for Millett’s natural talent to truly shine, they contrast the previously more produced tracks whilst simultaneously working in harmony with them. The best of these interludes has to be “On Reflection” and “Hold Up.”
“On Reflection” is the third interlude on the album and it contains an enchanting piano piece paired with a very funky bass line, accompanied by the singer’s low and soulful vocals, these different aspects make for an absolutely harmonious pairing. It is an incredibly stripped-back track that allows contrast to the tracks before it which have a more complex sound. The track describes the feelings that follow leaving a relationship, knowing you are both hurting but not being able to do anything about it. There is this heaviness and pain in Millett’s voice which really conveys the issue at its core. “I'm on a new path/ Hope you are, too/ Just because I left, it didn't mean I didn't love/ Oh, on reflection/ I see we're both hurt.” “Hold Up” on the other hand is the final interlude on the album and is the longest of the five interludes. The track features a strong beat, distorted synth and faint bass and piano piece. This interlude concludes the section of the album which documents growth and healing so it is no surprise to listeners when this song is so repetitive it feels like the repetition of a mantra. Over and over Millett’s pained vocals say “Hold up, hold up, sit up, sit up and/ Take a breath, baby/ I swear, I swear it might just make it better.” This repetition feels like an urgent plea to herself or the listeners like a doting mother concerned for her child Millett’s voice rings out to “hold up” and “sit up.”
Highlights of the album were “My Way,” “Happy No More,” “The Stage” and “Only Love.” The fifth track on the album, “My Way,” documents Millett following a breakup and the mix of emotions that come along with this process “I'm glad that we made it/ I’m glad I don't hate you/ I feel so sad, I feel so very bad/ I feel so fucking free/ And I'm so glad for that.” This song feels like a FaceTime call with a close friend, she is processing all of these emotions in real time with us. The track has a very up beat and snappy guitar and beat that accompanies it which entirely juxtaposes the emotions discussed but it moves as fast as Millett’s mind is moving through these emotions. Additionally, there is this deep and raw pain that is in the singer's voice throughout this song– it feels as though she is pained to tell this story. The song rounds out with a spoken word bridge that repeats the line “This is mine, you can’t have it/ This is mine, you can't grab it/ This is mine, you can’t touch it” it’s the first time that Millett’s vocals are strong and adamant, repeating it over and over makes it feel she is convincing herself of this. The song finishes with the repetition of the line “Let me have my way” which quickly starts to sound like a plea from Millett to her previous relationship, begging them to let her process how she needs to. The song is honest and raw and resonates with everyone who has experienced a major change in their life where all you want is comfort and for things to go your way.
“Happy No More” is the tenth track on the album which is, in a word: groovy. The bass line of this song is absolutely intoxicating, immediately transporting you to a smoke filled room as Millett’s hypnotizing vocals grace our ears. The song describes two people “fall out of love,” the two are on different pages and growing apart. This track is a fabulous showcase of Millett’s higher vocal range, these higher and more breathy vocals perfectly convey the hesitation in her to ask “How is it you feel?” to her partner because she doesn't really want to know the answer as she knows “You don't wanna feel me no more.” My favorite part of Millett’s lyricism is her self awareness, introspection and ability to laugh at her situation. The line “I look at the worst of you and I see the worst of me” is the most emotionally harrowing line in the song but it’s followed up by “Oh, she's sad again/ I pass that shit like an STD/ I did it for your protection.” This absolute tonal shift is a testament to Millett’s ability to balance sadness and comedy, it’s reflective of the true healing process, it’s not always sad and reflective sometimes it includes your ability to laugh at the situation. The final 40 seconds of the song however transport listeners to an entirely other world, producer Josh Crocker layers Millett’s vocals creating this very rich and well- rounded sound. Accompanied by a beautiful bass line and saxophone piece “Happy No More” creates the perfect modern R&B track. The final two tracks “This Stage” and “Only Love” are some of my personal favorites and stand-out tracks from all of Millett’s discography.
“This Stage” has a distinctly retro vibe to it with a very 50s jazz piano piece that is the underlying instrumental to it. The track describes how one truly sits in their own pain whilst simultaneously trying to put on a brave face for the rest of the world, putting on a performance whilst you hurt. The concept of the song is encapsulated by the line “This stage that I'm on is showing its cracks/ And now it's just caving.” This song is for all of those people who relate to “mirrorball” by Taylor Swift, the people who shine for everyone else to watch no matter how much they are hurting. Something I think Millett has developed is her ability to convey emotion through her voice, she is not just singing about this, she is living it, she is breathing it, she is performing and hurting simultaneously. I urge everyone to listen to Millett’s vocal performance as she sings the line “I'm on this stage and they're all applauding/ When I was just faking.”
The closing track of the album is “Only Love,” it is the pinnacle of the growth and healing process we have accompanied Millett through. Throughout the album each track has been a complete exploration of sound with so many different sounds and vibes explored however “Only Love” is the quintessential Pip Millett song. The track has her signature slow and deep bass line with her lower range, enchanting harmonization and buttery vocals. I think it’s poetic for her to end the album with a song that is so in her wheelhouse after doing so much sonic exploration. The lyric “Looking at the space I'm in/ I’m proud of myself, loving myself/ Look how far I've come” is the perfect way to round off an album so full of growth.
“When Everything Is Better, I’ll Let You Know” is easily a modern R&B classic, this album is a sonic and lyrical journey that feels so deeply personal and yet so universally relatable. This is an immaculate debut album and appeals to those who are fans of Millett’s previous EPs and also expands upon that, aiding her already dynamic discography.
Published via Returner Magazine
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