Photo by Angella Choe

On her latest album All of This Will End, Indigo de Souza is venting some frustration. With her third full-length, there’s a tone that feels like the singer is looking back at past interactions with a mindset of, “Excuse me, but who did you think you were talking to?” There’s an acerbity to tracks like “You Can Be Mean,” which serves as an incredibly unsubtle “fuck you” to some unevolved ex-fling. 

At various times on the record, she hits you with lines like, “Maybe I’ll always be sad” and odes to dissociation like anthemic “The Water.” The one-two punch of her voice – which can alternate from soft delicateness to the occasional screeches of “Always” – plus the album’s guitar production that really emphasizes building and releasing of dynamic tension make this her most powerful effort yet. 

There’s a notable confidence in these songs despite de Souza singing about familiar topics and her highly emotive vocal delivery. After her previous album Any Shape You Take, she’s talked about how she feels pretty firmly in her element, not just as a songwriter, but a person. In the wake of that release, she says she “was finally able to trust [her]self fully.” It’s a powerful feeling, finding your own two feet firmly planted. And although lines like, “Maybe I’ll always be sad,” might strike up some paradoxical feeling with her newfound optimism, it also feels akin to the album’s guitar style. It’s that dynamic tension that make this such a powerful album to listen to. In the same way that healing isn’t linear, you’re not always going to feel optimistic, even when things are going well. Indigo de Souza just makes that sound way cooler than a Hallmark card. 

With the album barely a month old – April 28th via Saddle Creek Records – de Souza hasn’t wasted much time in taking these songs on the road. Monday night, she is bringing All of This Will End Well to Boston’s Royale with support from Sluice, who also hail from de Souza’s native North Carolina. Get tickets via AXS here. Stream All of This Will End Well below.