Since debuting in 2020, Nessa Barrett has crafted evocative and deeply personal songs about topics like mental illness, trauma, and the struggles of young womanhood, drawing listeners in with her catchy hooks and mesmerizing, fragile timbre. The alt-pop artist wrote her first album, 2022’s young forever, during what she called the worst year of her life. But as Barrett sifted through her recent experiences to inspire her follow-up, she realized she wasn’t sad anymore. This epiphany spurred a new creative approach, one in which she could channel her energy into creating a character instead of resurfacing her own pain. On AFTERCARE, Barrett immerses herself in dark, moody soundscapes as she transforms into an empowered woman who owns her sexuality while remaining vulnerable. It opens with the hazy title track, where the question “You love the chase, but will you stay when it ends?” sets the tone for an exploration of love, sex, and the often messy aftermath. Barrett purrs her carnal desires on the provocative “PORNSTAR,” and makes that physicality feel as essential as oxygen on the howling “HEARTBEAT.” On the cinematic ballad “RUSSIAN ROULETTE” she bets it all on love, and on the haunting “EDWARD SCISSORHANDS” she confronts the fallout: “Whenever you touch me/You cut me to pieces.” But as defiant closing tracks “STAY ALIVE” and “DIRTY LITTLE SECRET” show, Barrett emerges stronger and wiser—and ready to dive in all over again.
Featured On
- Tate McRae
- Maggie Lindemann
- Madison Beer
- Gracie Abrams
- Olivia O'Brien
- Olivia Rodrigo