Clairo's Sling review: 'Sling' finds this young artist taking an unexpected but welcome turn into a new style, one that leaves the possibilities of her next chapter wide open
since her 2017 song “Pretty Girl” went viral, it’s astonishing — and just as astonishingly unsurprising — how few of them actually focus on her music. Even when people are writing specifically about her songs and albums — including this remarkable latest one, “Sling” — the focus is usually on her personality, her sexuality, her background, her battles with depression and other non-musical aspects.
While Clairo turns 23 next month, she’s been releasing songs for nearly a decade — first via YouTube covers and gradually originals, until “Pretty Girl” captured the imagination and algorithms of millions and lofted the then-college freshman to a level of renown that saw her opening for Dua Lipa right after finishing her first year at Syracuse University.
But Clairo has also advanced dramatically as a singer. Where Rostam compensated for her relatively limited range by loading it up with echo, here she and Antonoff have multi-tracked her voice with delicately layered harmonies that, with the exception of two songs featuring Lorde, are sung entirely by her. They’ve played up the baroque touches in other ways, as well: The album is loaded with vintage keyboards — particularly Wurlitzer electric piano — and a string quartet appears on several songs.
And yes, the lyrics address many of the aforementioned topics: There’s alienation and loneliness , a gross encounter with a music industry exec , and depression and family . There’s also a college reference in “Zinnias” so specific that it’s an intersection on the Syracuse campus . That song also includes the only lyrical mention of the album’s title, envisioning a potential future for herself with a “baby in a sling.
But we’re not here to unpack all that — “Sling” finds this young artist taking an unexpected but welcome turn into a new style, one that leaves the possibilities of her next chapter wide open.
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