Alex Lahey: I Love You Like a Brother Review

By Alana Riddle
Music Journalist

Artist: Alex Lahey
Album: I Love You Like a Brother
Release Date: October 6, 2017
Website: https://alexlahey.bandcamp.com/album/i-love-you-like-a-brother

Melbourne-based Alex Lahey’s debut album I Love You Like A Brother is a high energy ode to universal experiences, especially those of millennials. Think Courtney Barnett, but still full of angst trying to navigate life as a broke twenty-something-year-old. Throughout the album, Lahey delivers reflections on her experiences with insecurity, financial stress and difficult relationships all in the form of peppy songs that are sure to get people moving. In comparison to her 2016 EP B-Grade University, this new album features songs that are generally more uptempo, but share the same witty lyrics, punk guitars and solid pop melodies.

Each track on the album offers an honest confession about something specific, and one track that is particularly evocative is I Haven’t Been Taking Care of Myself. As the title suggests, this song describes Lahey’s struggle with how she has been neglecting self-care and her health and the effects this has had on her relationship, “I’ve gained weight and I drink too much, maybe that’s why you don’t love me as much.” While it may be difficult to talk about, many of us have had similar experiences with self deprecation, at least at some point. The upbeat pop-punk delivery of this song makes it feel like an angsty anthem we can all relate to.

I Love You Like a Brother hits the nail on the head in terms of relatability. With lyrics addressing topics like identity and romantic relationships, Lahey manages to tap into the kind of existential woes that go hand-in-hand with life in your twenties. In an interview with DIY Magazine, Lahey unapologetically describes the relationships throughout her life as being an ongoing learning experience, with the accurate assertion that “it’s acceptable to be feeling your way through” in your mid-twenties. The concept of being mindful of your own growth as it’s happening is palpable on this album from beginning to end. Overall, I Love You Like a Brother is an excellent album for listeners of all ages, and we will likely see Lahey rise to even more success in the future.

Alex Lahey is currently on tour and will have a show at Barracuda in Austin, Texas on Nov. 30.