Abbie Ozard dances through the worry on new record

Manchester-based singer-songwriter Abbie Ozard has released her first LP, everything still worries me, the perfect antidote to any quarter-life crisis. Much of the record has a dreamy quality about it production-wise, yet the finely tuned lyrics about growing up bring the listener back to reality.

Those truthful lyrics prove to be one of Abbie’s best-sharpened tools, likely to attract listeners who appreciate her authentic connection to the challenges of romance, mental health, and navigating your twenties. 

In the front half of the album, lead single ‘anything for you’ is a stand-out. Producer Ben Matravers leans into deeper indie impulses, staying grounded with steady bass and drum riffs, yet bringing the ethereal atmosphere back with some creative maneuvering of synth and electric guitar. The lyrical delivery from Abbie is a real departure from her softer, more conversational approach, found in tracks like ‘days like these,’ instead trending lower and raw here. It leads to a beautiful transition into her melodic delivery in the choruses, while lending more weight to a line like ‘had my own head, but then you swallowed it whole…’ that would have likely carried a playful air in many of her other songs. 

Though ‘anything for you’ depicts one side of the record’s personality, there’s a dynamic push-and-pull between two styles that adds a greater meaning to the title. While darker tones and themes can be found throughout the record, fitting the narrative of constant anxiety and strife, Abbie distinctly creates a parallel, one that provides some glimmers of hope and levity. Tracks like ‘miss american dream,’ a poppy love song complete with sugary-sweet whistling to back up the chorus and ‘night time,’ an upbeat lament about a situationship, bring up the tempo, if not always the mood. 

The emotional lyrics may not always appear to match the dance beat, but is there anything more indicative of your twenties than dusting yourself off and heading to the club with your pals after a wretched date or nasty day at work? Abbie is of course enjoyable for any listener, but she so aptly captures the beautiful, crazy messiness of finding your footing in “the real world.” She cleverly samples a popular TikTok voiceover effect in ‘think for yourself,’ and some of her sharpest lyrics come out of the title track, ‘everything still worries me.’ It’s a true coming of age track, grappling with the nature of personal growth and judging the growth of those around us. She lambastes an old lover who hasn’t stopped their destructive habits: ‘You drink too much of the rough stuff, your purple lips tell me that you won’t stop. How did I ever like your cigarette breath?‘, yet admits in the chorus that she herself is still plagued by anxiety.

Like much of the album, the track is a mature perspective on what it means to be transitioning into adulthood at this weird moment in time. Though that transition may be dark and scary, this record coats it in layers of dreaminess and sweet indie-pop that take the edge off and make everything feel a little less worrisome. 

Listen to everything still worries me here.