Album Analysis: Paris Paloma's 'Cacophony'

Paris Paloma released her debut studio album, Cacophony, on August 30, 2024. The album consists of fifteen pop/folk tracks. The songs are imbued with political messages, predominantly centring women's experiences. Paloma also delves into other subject matters, such as her mental health struggles.

Not all pop has to be purposeful; oftentimes, when artists attempt to colour their work with political messages, they flop. Think Katy Perry's Woman's World or Taylor Swift's You Need to Calm Down. These songs flop if they intend to deliver a message because they are ultimately devoid of any meaningful insights about the world around us. Conversely, Paloma's album is the farthest thing from vague platitudes about empowerment and self-love. It is a deeply introspective body of work which touches on many aspects of the human experience - particularly the female experience.

It is a dense album, coming in at a 56-minute listening time. The songs are also very layered, often written in a poetic style which can take a while to unpack. It's not only the meanings that are layered but the vocals as well. The sonic landscape of this album is built on intricate, melismatic harmonies stacked on top of each other, which can either create a calming listening experience, like being enveloped in the music or can be used as a rousing call to action. The great thing about albums like this, which are so poetic, is that there are so many different meanings to be gleaned. So, here are some of my interpretations of my five favourite songs from the album.

The fourth song on the album is Drywall, and my personal favourite from the record. Here, Paloma sarcastically plays with the idea of male fragility, subverting the demeaning ways women are spoken to when they display any emotion and turning those words back on men. It is seen as a weakness when women are emotive, and men are often portrayed as stoic and rational for "not being emotional." But here, Paloma is highlighting the prevalence of male anger and how easily men lose the run of themselves, thus being very emotional, just in an unproductive way. The folksy, whimsical style sweeps the listener away to a different world whilst the lyrics ground us in the reality of how some men behave. My favourite lyrics from the song are: "Funny rationality; What would positions in power be? Led by feelings that seemingly change hourly; I am floored that you ever got there." When listening to Drywall, I am reminded of the fact that domestic violence cases soar when England [or any man's preferred team] lose a football game during the major championships. To me, this news story relates perfectly to the message of the song, displaying how some men's anger cannot be controlled, and they will lash out at the women in their lives, even over something as frivolous as a football game. As Paloma sings, that is a true lack of "emotional regulation."

The most famous song of the album comes in on track five: Labour. The song has gone insanely viral on social media over the past couple of years, and for good reason. Paloma describes a bucolic, idyllic fictional island, here used as a metaphor for the domestic bliss women are responsible for creating and curating for men. The island is so perfect it is almost a paradise. Yet, the woman is desperate to escape, tired of the incessant emotional and physical labour she is forced to do for the men in her life. The reason people connect to this song so deeply is because it has such universal appeal for all women. This is especially evident in the bridge when Paloma chants, "all day, everyday, therapist, mother, maid, nymph then a virgin, nurse then a servant, just as appendage, live to attend him so that he never lifts a finger. 24/7, baby machine, so he can live out his picket fence dreams, it's not an act of love if you make her, you make me do too much labour." This emphasises the endless number of roles women are forced to perform for the benefit of men and how exhausting it is to live in the world as a woman. Ostensibly, these lyrics are just about carrying out physical labour, but note the double meaning of "so that he never lifts a finger." This refers to some men never having to work, but also accentuates the all too prevalent reality that some men will physically lash out at women when they do not perform these roles. The same could be said for "it's not an act of love if you make her", referring to sexual violence and rape. In April of this year, Paloma released a "Cacophony" version of the song, layering thousands of women's voices into the mix to highlight the universality of the message but also the strength and solidarity experienced by women as a collective.

In keeping with the folk elements of this album, As Good A Reason showcases the wisdom women pass down to one another through the generations. This storytelling device is a pillar of folk-style songs. The song begins with the speaker meeting an older woman. The speaker enquires how the older woman manages not to conform to the myriad of expectations placed on women's appearances. Later, the speaker gives the same advice she received to a younger woman. To me, this song effectively encapsulates the reality that to foster genuine self-love and empowerment, you must first reject the notion that buying more material things like makeup, clothes and hair products is an empowering endeavour. All these products designed to enhance "beauty" are created to make women feel small and insecure in order to fuel a capitalist system that directly profits from those insecurities. Whilst the storytelling elements of this song are entrenched in the folk tradition, the musical style itself is pop, which works well because the fast-paced tempo combined with clever turns of phrase accompanied with a catchy chorus effectively delivers a lasting message to the listener: love the way you look and who you are and reject the system that profits off of you being small and insecure.

Last Woman on Earth is perhaps the starkest song from the album, dealing with the most brutal ways men can treat women. The song centres around the constant, pervasive way men sexualise women. Paloma alludes to Hugh Hefner's desire to be buried in Marilyn Monroe's crypt beside her dead body and how, when she died, other men requested to be buried "on top" of her. The song shows that, even in death, women cannot rest peacefully and will forever be viewed as sexual objects by men: from birth to beyond the grave, there is no escape. The song also alludes to discussions of sexual abuse, mirroring the recent online conversations about whether women would rather be stuck in a forest alone with a bear or a man, with most women answering "the bear." Common responses I saw from women were: "The worst thing the bear can do is kill me." "The bear doesn't see me as a human being." "No one will ask if I led the bear on." "At least the bear doesn't have morals, they don't choose to inflict harm on me but can't help it because it is in their nature. A man makes a choice." The song was written before this online debate started, which shows just how relevant its subject matter is. Hopefully, it will help bring this discourse further into the mainstream.

The final song I wish to highlight today is Hunter. Drawing inspiration from fantasy novels, Paloma describes how couching lyrics about her mental health struggles in mystical, magical and fantastical imagery allows her to write about such personal experiences. As such, Hunter depicts the story of a hunter coming face to face with a predator. They are both emaciated and starving and have equal reason, opportunity and desire to kill one another. Yet, they choose not to. The song is an extended metaphor for the conflicting and warring sides of someone's mind who is struggling with mental illness. Ultimately, the hunter and the beast learn to live alongside one another. To me, this highlights how we have to love all the parts of our mind, even the darkest parts, because ultimately, it is by accepting ourselves and showing ourselves kindness that we can heal and become stronger. Paloma writes about the song: "Hunter is a reckoning and a reflection on all the times I decided to keep living instead of giving up. I wrote it after a prolonged period of darkness and depression." The song has an epic feel to it, like it would perfectly soundtrack a fantasy film, giving the listener a sense of inner strength through the refrain, "If I was easy to kill, you would've done it already."

This was, of course, a brief overview of the album, highlighting the songs I personally connected to, but I know every listener will have a different experience and take different messages from the songs. And that is the beauty of art! I couldn't recommend this album more highly. So, give it a listen if you're looking for a folksy, whimsical musical vibe complemented by punchy, insightful and stirring lyrics. You will simultaneously be transported to another world and grounded in our reality, which is quite an achievement! To me, that is the strength of the folk tradition. Paloma can cloak truths about our world in fictional, fantastical stories. Overall, I can't wait to see what Paris Paloma does next.