Cape God: Review
COURTESY IMAGE // ALLIE X
I never got to see Allie X in concert. Once upon a time, in a land before coronavirus, I had intended to drive down to Los Angeles and maybe catch her live. Alas, my melancholy surrounding the impossibility of such an action is matched by the ethereal and tragic world conjured by the Canadian singer in her 2020 album “Cape God.” Named after the 2015 HBO documentary Heroin, Cape Cod USA, the Torontonian-turned-Angelena seeks to portray a hyper-dysfunctional East Coast life. This is only fair after her dystopian take on her move to Los Angeles in her fourth EP Super Sunset.
Allie X begins the album with the enigmatically named “Fresh Laundry.” I’ll admit that I have no idea what this song is trying to convey other than a desire for order and possibly fresh laundry. However, the beat is catchy, so I’m okay with the fact that the meaning has gone completely over my head. “Fresh Laundry” neatly segues into my favourite song of the album: “Devil I Know.” The title tells you all that you need in order to understand the message of the song — Allie X is battling with her own demons. The musical climax of the track comes about two minutes into the song during her second refrain: “I can pretend that I’m just praying now, but I’m only on my knees / I could scream, “somebody help me out,” but the wicked one is me.” I get chills every time.
The tone of the album changes with the next few songs. Up on the queue is “Regulars,” a sarcastic track about inclusion — or more accurately, the fact that Allie X feels like an outsider looking in. In an interview with Apple Music, she talks about her difficulties fitting in and pleasing people in the music industry, but also with her struggles of feeling unattractive in high school. After “Regulars” comes “Sarah Come Home.” Though Allie X wrote this song as a joke after her songwriter Sarah Hudson cancelled on her, this song can definitely be interpreted as longing for a lost friend. It’s slightly comical just how jovial this song is, but that’s Allie X for you.
Ah yes, the single for this album. “Rings a Bell” is a strange song that I don’t quite know how to make sense of. It seems nostalgic, yet it also longs for the future. The upbeat percussion of this song is to die for. This is definitely one of those songs that I can listen to for hours. In an “AskMeAnything” on Reddit, Allie X explains that “June Gloom” is about contracting a chronic illness as a child and being forced to watch her peers live their lives while she stayed at home. “June gloom in my room / These days, I like to stay inside / Watching the kids get high,” clearly Allie X struggles with the fact that she didn’t get to have the adolescence that her peers had — but she’s also using sarcasm to process it.
“Love Me Wrong” builds on the years’ long friendship between Allie X and South African singer Troye Sivan. Though I will admit that I’m not a fan of Sivan’s — possibly due to an incident at VidCon 2014 where I was stampeded by a group of his fans all wearing TRXYE sweatshirts — this is such a great collaboration. The song is emotionally raw and hits all of the heartstrings. The transition between that song and “Super Duper Party People” is definitely jarring. If Allie X wanted to portray dysfunctional life in a fictional New England town, then this is the track right here.
I could talk for hours about “Susie Save Your Love,” but I’ll spare everyone the details. In a collaboration with indie singer Mitski — the very same Mitski that graced the College with her presence in 2019 — the duo sing about the frustration of being in love with a best friend who’s dating someone you don’t like. It’s messy, it’s raw, it’s emotional, and it was definitely worth Mitski breaking her tradition of not being a featured artist in other people’s songs. I have heard people say that this song is the “gay friendzone anthem” that no one knew was needed. I’m inclined to agree.
Returning to the motif of social exclusion, “Life of the Party” details Allie X’s struggle with being inebriated to the point where she feels like she is being let into social groups at parties, only to realise that she is actually being made fun of. Throughout the song, Allie X talks about being taken advantage of and being exposed to the disingenuity of others. This song is definitely a lot deeper than the upbeat fast-paced track leads one to believe.
Unless you forgot that Allie X was inspired to write this album after watching a documentary about drug addiction in Massachusetts, it is immediately apparent that the song “Madam X” alludes to heroin. The slowest track on the album, “Madam X” immediately makes reference to the rush of being high. “Madam X / Take my money, my self-respect / When you come around, nothing hurts / Madam X / You full me up with your emptiness / And it’s the first thing I’ve ever felt.” It’s definitely gloomy and ethereal, while being respectful to the plight of those addicted to opioids. The title “Madam X” may itself be a reference to the 19th century painting by John Singer Sargent of a French socialite in a black dress, known for being scandalous due to its sexualising implications — possibly referencing the dangerous allure of heroin.
The final track, “Learning in Public” is a lot more upbeat, talking about Allie X’s experience with self-reflection of her past actions. Through the song, Allie X discusses learning from all that she has gone through in life and coming out on the other side better for it.
All in all, Cape God is a worthy successor to Allie X’s previous albums and EPs: CollXtion I, CollXtion II, and Super Sunset. Every single album that she has released is worth a gander for those that are curious. Allie X has been pioneering with pop and experimenting with different sounds. If you’re tired of cookie-cutter nonsense, maybe give her some of your attention.
