CAITY BASER - STILL LEARNING
Caity Baser is dominating the pop music scene, and she has blown it out the water with her debut album Still Learning. It describes the trials and tribulations of being a woman in her early 20s, packed full of female empowerment, girlboss anthems, and the infectious sound of Gen Z. It’s fun, it’s loud, and Caity Baser is here to stay.
'Still Learning is for the women who are assertive, strong, outspoken, and confident, and who are always told they are a problem’ Baser tells us through her Instagram in the lead up to the anticipated release of the album. This certainly resonates with the song ‘I’m A Problem’ which kicks off the mixtape, touching on topics of feminine rage – for all those who are told they are ‘too loud’ or ‘annoying’. It’s a high energy start to the album which makes the listener feel empowered and ready for anything. Moving on to the following track ‘The Plot’ – coined from the typically Gen Z phrase ‘just do it for the plot!’ - particularly showcases Baser’s vocal range and authentic style. Merging more talking-rap style music with her gorgeous vocal range at the start of the track, it alludes to her early music such as ‘Kiss You’. You can’t help but feeling happy when the tracks are blasting through your headphones.
As an avid musical theatre fan, ‘Showgirl’ caught my attention quickly, and it certainly didn’t disappoint. The classic tap-shoe sounds layered behind Baser’s vocals gives the track a 1920s jazz vibe, and makes the song stand out within the album. I love how Baser experiments with her music throughout her career, while maintaining her classic ‘Caity Baser’ sound.
‘I Love Making Bad Boys Cry’ and ‘Why Can’t I Have Two? (2468)’ explore themes of reversing gender norms and confidence. Touching on the first, you can really grab a sense of how Baser’s music isn’t meant to be taken too seriously, but showcase her energy into creating fun and inspiring music. The gentle vocals make this track one of the slower songs from the album, but it by no means shifts the energy of the mixtape midway. We jump straight back into the high-energy steady beat of ‘Why Can’t I Have Two? (2468)’. The lyrics ‘If I was a guy, I’d do what I like / So why should girls have less, are you dumb?’ makes light of pressing issues in our society with gender norms. It encapsulates the theme of the album, and Baser’s music in general, of female empowerment. It’s honest, it’s certainly real, and it’s all wrapped up in pop bangers that you can’t shake out of your head.
‘Everything Everywhere All At Once’ is perhaps my top track from the mixtape. Baser discusses topics of not understanding emotions, and perhaps not being able to deal with them, in a relationship. As a woman in her 20s myself certainly Still Learning, this resonates with my own feelings, and Baser captured this perfectly within the track. “I’m feelin’ everything everywhere all at once / I feel stupid and clueless, like ‘what the fuck?’” The listener can hear Baser’s raw emotion streaming through the vocals. The visceral confusion and rage follows the central themes of Baser’s debut album, promptly followed by ‘Bicker’.
‘Bicker’ has a seething punk edge buried within the track, with building drums and guitars. It sits nicely before ‘Grow Up’ – slowing the album back down from the high energy, angry tone of ‘Bicker’. Baser continues to flip the coin with the listener, evoking emotion with each track.
Coming to the end of the mixtape, ‘Choose Me’ is an inspiring song about self-love, it feels like the grand finale of a huge debut album. “I choose me, I choose she, I choose we, I choose her” – has a glorious sense of community within girlhood. I can almost see the crowd clapping along at her shows in time with Baser, and I can’t wait to see how she brings the album to life on the road at her headline tour. Finally, Baser ends the album on ‘I’ll Be Here For You’. “Like I’ll be your big sister / And I’ll pull you above every stupid little mister.” An upbeat song about the importance of female friendships, but also relates to Baser talking to her own fanbase. You can see how much she appreciates her fans (or ‘Slaysers’), and it’s a perfect end to the mixtape.
Baser is about to embark on her biggest-ever headline tour, she’s recently been nominated for a BRIT award and is forever growing on social media and TikTok. I’ve loved watching her grow from TikTok musician to pop princess over the last few years, and I can’t wait to see what she does next. 2024 is the year of Caity Baser and we’re all living for it.
Isabelle Hunter
★★★★★