Recommended Tracks: “Pills & Good Advice,” “The Ballad of Marion Zioncheck,” “It Could Be Better”
Artists You May Like: Dorian Electra, Phixel, Holidaykiss
Left at London, stylized /@/, is the stage name of Nat Puff, a singer-songwriter, producer, and comedian from Washington state. She is a queer indie-pop artist who doesn’t shy away from talking about difficult topics in what she creates. Even with a hectic schedule, Puff strives to be accessible through social media while also staying balanced in her own life.
TIAPFYH starts with a gentle, melancholic intro on “Pills & Good Advice” – the acoustic phrases are an intricate deception, punctuated by lyrics drenched in angst, desperation, and aching hopefulness, nonetheless. The swells and falls of this song mirror not only the experiences of everyday struggles, but also the following album progression.
“The Ballad of Marion Zioncheck” is not just a lamentation of a real-life American sob story, but a timeless commentary on mental health. The ballad gravitates between two focal points where romantic audio is juxtaposed with thought-provoking lines like, “All of the quirks we used to have are now a symptom of / Acronyms we don’t get to know that we’re the victims of.”
One of the two keys to the dual-lock title, “there is a place for you here.” is a comfort amidst the desert, and it’s the kind of song that makes you smile from the get-go. Although it is sonically lighter than a lot of the other tracks on the album, it has no less impact. The serenity of it touched me especially because of the allusion to a common mental health struggle: we may never know the perfect path to being healed, but each time we survive, we are that much more prepared to live in a future we didn’t originally plan on having.
A tonal shift comes on “Out of My Mind,” a track coated in liminal whispering and twinkling synth. It’s cyclical with deteriorating spin cycles – each time around goads you further into the dysphotic zone of Puff’s mind, but it feels oddly comforting familiar. The breakdown of the song mirrors exactly that, and identifies the dismissive attitude directed towards people who experience episodes of non-romanticized mental behavior(s). A taboo sentiment is that it’s easier to say someone’s crazy than to actively try to understand them – even if they only want to exist without criticism of things they can’t always conveniently control.
The fifth track actually lies before it even starts, in my humble opinion. “It Could Be Better” is possibly my favorite from the album, although there are seven contenders (excluding the separately purchased bonus tracks). The song speaks to each content creator’s personal creative process – will it ever feel like something is perfect? Probably not, but at least this song is a head-nod record with a whirlwind switch-up you can listen to in the mean time!
“Kudzu” is Left at London’s self-proclaimed favorite of the album. It swings down to the depths with its words and notes, and Puff does a great job of saturating each line with gravelly emotion. The wordplay throughout this sixth track leaves curious smoke trails, begging the question of what the true weeds in our lives are.
The digital album wraps on “This Is A Protest For Your Heart!!!” and leaves with our rapt attention. If I could capture the amalgamation of my feelings with this track, especially at the end of the whole journey, I too would use an enormous amount of exclamation points.
Left at London expressed that her motivation with this album is to latch onto living for herself, and not living for an external purpose. Life is not a clear path, and no one has it all figured out – while we’re here though, at least we get to enjoy introspective, sonic genius like this. Although some may find this record too chaotic, for me, I found peace in the madness (and I had a lot of fun doing it). I would say that Left at London’s new album TIAPFYH breaks the mold – but for that to be true, it would have to be contained in the first place.
How to Get TIAPFYH: Streaming or Bandcamp
Follow Left at London: Personal Twitter // Updates Twitter // Insta // Patreon // TikTok // Discord
More Links Available Through: Website
