After breaking through with 2023’s shot in the dark, Ashley Cooke digs deeper into her personal story on this self-titled follow-up. Conceived as a coming-of-age record, ashley cooke pairs a newly established pop aesthetic with confessional songwriting for a project sure to appeal to fans of Megan Moroney or Golden Hour-era Kacey Musgraves. “high school sweetheart” is a melodic entry into the growing canon of disco-tinged country songs, complete with a guitar solo from famed producer/instrumentalist Dann Huff. Lyrically, that tune lets Cooke settle a score with an immature adversary, and that confidence recurs across the LP, like on “the hell you are,” a rollicking takedown of a lying lover. Another standout track is “famous to frances,” a situationship anthem told from the perspective of a therapy session. Cooke tapped just one guest for the LP, as Canadian pop multi-hyphenate JP Saxe joins her on “man behind the glass,” a spare, thoughtful duet between two hopeful lovers struggling to connect. Co-writers on the album include Nashville juggernaut and Taylor Swift collaborator Liz Rose, pop hitmaker Emily Weisband, and critically beloved country/roots mainstay Lori McKenna.