Lexie Carroll Is Having Her “annual birthday cry,” And We’re Invited

Lexie Carroll Is Having Her “annual birthday cry,” And We’re Invited

That article title might be a terrible joke, but Lexie Carroll’s October 26th release, “annual birthday cry,” is not. The “London-based, 17 year-old singer-songwriter” has perfectly encapsulated the anxiety and sadness that accompanies aging, particularly within the Information Age. Taking a page from the Phoebe Bridgers book, Carroll has perfectly placed background vocals that double the lead line, a driving bass drum, and plenty of instrumental swells to keep the emotional rollercoaster moving.

The repetition of “I’ll be alright tonight” comes across as sincere, but it also tips off the listener to something that is inherent within all of us. Positive affirmations to the self are incredibly helpful, and what I’m about to say might seem in contrast to that, but two juxtaposing things can be true. In this case, the fact that positive affirmations are helpful and the fact that positive affirmations also provide a tip off to inner turmoil that one might be attempting to avoid. Though Carroll is repeating that she’ll be alright, the lyrics of the verses completely fly in that statement’s face.

“The annual panic” has become “tradition,” and although she “hate[s] how the mood changes” when the titular birthday cry comes through, she knows that she wants “to learn how to live in [her] own damn mind.” She also knows that she’ll be alright. All of these things can be true, and that’s what Carroll captures so beautifully: the wonderful mess of humanity. Polar opposites can both simultaneously be true, and everything feels all over the place sometimes.

But we power through. We know we’ll be alright. We all need time to learn how to live with our own minds, and if this is what comes from Lexie Carroll’s, the future is bright. Check out “annual birthday cry” below, and let us know what you think!