Growing up is weird. It brings a lot of feelings — confusion, fear, hope, even sometimes loneliness. No album embodies that better than Jeremy Zucker and Chelsea Cutler’s “brent iii.”
When the release of “brent iii” was first announced, I came in with high expectations. Zucker and Cutler are a formidable music duo, making some of the most deeply solemn music I’ve ever heard. After hits like “you were good to me” and “this is how you fall in love,” my expectations were high. Incredibly, “brent iii” shattered them. Zucker and Cutler blended incredible vocals, lyrics and production together to create a masterpiece.
“A-frame” is the song that first made me fall in love with the album. It’s a quintessential love song, creating a scene where two people find fulfillment and happiness in each other’s company, away from the outside world. The chorus is deeply impactful — the lyrics “We’re saying, ‘I love you’/And dancing real slow/The middle of nowhere, still you make it feel like home” alongside the stripped-down acoustics and string instruments bring out the feeling of longing.
The musical construction of this album is perfect, really adding to the feeling the songs bring. “i miss you” starts off with small cackles similar to a slightly-out-of-tune radio or a campfire. “and the government too!” incorporates the sound of a turn signal throughout the song, bringing back memories of dozing off in the back of a car in the wintertime.
However, no song exemplifies this attention to detail better than “ashes & rust.” The opening piano is distorted, almost like it’s being played on a cassette. The lyrics are heartbreaking, centering around abandonment and the feeling of being let down by someone who’s supposed to play a central role in the singer’s life. The lyrics “I’m fine, I’m fine” serve to mask deeper frustrations and a sense of distance. For better or for worse, it reminds me of my childhood.
I have to give credit to the amazing chord progressions too. While they are a bit rudimentary, that’s the point of them — that nostalgic feeling is heightened through its simplicity. “just breathe” takes this one step further, adding multi-layered vocals and a choir to make what I feel is the most beautiful song of the album. The lyrics of the song are even better, capturing a sense of internal conflict and the difficulty of overcoming mental barriers. I resonate with those feelings of anxiety, self-doubt and the struggle for self-acceptance, and the lyrics “You’re gonna be fine/You’re doing alright/Baby, just breathe” serve as very comforting reassurance.
This entire album makes me long for my childhood again. I was transported, if just for a moment, far away from the stress of my drama-filled college life. As I sat on the campus swings listening to the album for the first time, I felt a sense of comfort I hadn’t for a while, yet equally longed for better times of the past. It’s a unique feeling, but for an album by Zucker and Cutler, I expect no less.
