Molly Trueman’s debut album has sonic and lyrical beauty, and bit by bit tells Trueman’s story of heartbreak and relationships
Angels & Aliens is the Montreal-based singer’s first full album, and was long anticipated for fans who have been waiting since her career began in 2020.
With a knack for strings and an ear for melodies, each song on Trueman’s album is a true testament to her abilities, both as a lyricist and a musician.
Get your headphones ready, hit play on Angels & Aliens, and dive into Trueman’s track-by-track breakdown below.
Across the Planets
This was the last song I added to the album, though I’d had the melody, guitar, and strings stuck in my head for nearly a year. I couldn’t figure out lyrics for the life of me.
Being the stubborn person I am, I was completely set on this song (or song-to-be) being the first track on an album that didn’t exist yet. Something about the simple guitar line and practically three-note melody felt like the perfect opener to me.
Months later, when the rest of the album was written, I came to the realization that I write a lot about change and how I deal with it—I hate change. This is what finally inspired the lyrics.
“Across the Planets” is about all the people who come and go over time: best friends becoming enemies, lovers becoming strangers, angels becoming aliens. (Evidently, this is a big theme of the album).
Once I had lyrics, I had a ton of fun with extraterrestrial imagery in the production, so much so that this ended up being my favorite song on the album, despite taking the longest to unravel.
Spring in my Step
Not surprisingly, it took a few months of playing around with a melody and guitar part before “Spring in my Step” had any lyrics. This is often the way I write—I don’t think I’ve ever started a song by writing lyrics.
Eventually, it ended up being about putting on a smile around someone who hurt you, not wanting to give them the power of knowing they had an impact on you, and consequently, the self-inflicted pain that comes from caring that much. This song has always been one of my favorites because it’s so fun to sing.
Hungover
I wrote this song several months after getting into a drunk argument and regretting it the next morning—feeling hungover in both the physical and emotional sense.
Additionally, it’s about trying to mend your relationship with someone after a fight, and navigating how to move forward. I don’t write enough about situations where I’m the jerk, which is partly why “Hungover” exists.
It’s refreshing to call yourself out in song! This is one of several songs on the album featuring strings. Is that a string quartet, you might ask? I’d say “No, they’re all my dad!”
One of the coolest parts of coming from a family of musicians is that you can get them to play on your songs. Built-in collaborators!
Found Me at the Wrong Time
Yet another song where I’m the jerk! I remember writing this when I had an insufferable case of writer’s block. It wasn’t until I decided to lean into a scenario where I was the jerk that I finally got out of my rut—writing too many sad, I’ve-been-wronged songs gets boring and depressing after a while.
I ended up finishing this song within the hour. “Found Me at the Wrong Time” is about meeting someone new when you’re emotionally unavailable, pursuing them anyway, and wondering what it would’ve been like if you’d met them at a different point in time.
At first I figured this song would be more of an exercise to help with my writer’s block, but I ended up really liking how it turned out. Some of my favorite songs are written this way.
I knew I wanted this song to feel upbeat and fun, and a big part of that came down to a funky bassline. Luckily, my best friend Sam can do that (and did that on every song on this album)! Certified mind-reader and bass legend.
Dream Song
A while ago my friend was telling me about a crazy dream she had, and it occurred to me that I never have fun dreams anymore. I have the occasional hyper-realistic dream, but nothing so interesting that I’d want to tell my friend about it in the morning.
Most of my dreams occur during periods of high stress (particularly when I’m navigating change, or have to make a decision of some kind), resulting in plenty of stressful dreams. That said, “Dream Song” is about my love-hate relationship with sleep. Dedicated to my insomnia girlies.
Without You Without Me
This song is about the days or weeks leading up to a breakup. They start to fade, like a ghost, and it feels like part of you is fading too. You know it’s going to end soon, yet for some reason, you still feel compelled to stay with them as long as humanly possible.
It’s honestly sadder than the breakup itself because you might be in the same room as this person, but you can feel their absence already. It’s one of my favorite songs on the album—I love how it has so few lyrics, yet it’s easily the saddest song I’ve ever written.
When I went to Miner Street Recordings in Philly to record drums, I had a vague idea that I wanted to incorporate electronic drums in some way. Something to contrast the acoustic 3-3-2 guitar strumming.
Shane Luckenbaugh, this album’s percussionist, ended up being super helpful with my drum machine vision. We came up with a cool hybrid of acoustic and electronic drums, which is a bit out of my comfort zone, but it made me love the song even more.
Lungs
This is definitely the album’s angry song, although it’s more about repressing anger than it is about letting it out. “Lungs” is about a frustrating, unfulfilling relationship that makes you want to scream, as well as the rose-colored glasses you wear when you really like someone.
Essentially, you’re pissed at the other person for being the worst, and you’re pissed at yourself for being terrible at communicating your feelings. Dedicated to anyone who struggles with confrontation.
Yet another song with a drum machine/kit hybrid, although the drum machine took a bit more of a lead on this one. I’ve never written a song quite like this one, and I hated it for a while.
I eventually came to love how different it was, but it was definitely a song I had to work for—it didn’t just come to me like some songs do.
Stranger
This is a classic breakup song where someone you considered one of the most important people in your life becomes a stranger. Pretty self-explanatory.
It feels unnatural because you’re so used to having that person around, then suddenly you’re not supposed to talk to them. And the more time you spend without them, the more you wonder how well you really knew them in the first place.
“Stranger” is another one of my favorites. The ending is easily the loudest, angriest moment on the album—it makes up for the lack of screaming in “Lungs”!
I Won’t Sleep Soundly
I wrote this song in 2020 right around when George Floyd (amongst many other Black people) was killed. There were no distractions, given this was during the peak of the pandemic, and it was hard to think about anything else.
Being the songwriter I am, I process emotions better by writing them down, which is how “I Won’t Sleep Soundly” was born. It’s the most classically ‘folk’ song on the album, which I love. It feels the most timeless.
his song started as a rough demo that lived on my SoundCloud, just guitar and vocals. Unexpectedly, my college choir director, Gabriel, came across it and asked if I could arrange it for a virtual Glee Club concert. Of course I said yes, and ended up doing editing and mixing as well.
I was still new to Logic at the time (and intimidated by it), so this project was exactly the push I needed to really get to know the software. That makes this recording the third rendition of “I Won’t Sleep Soundly,” though you’ll still hear the choral lines in the strings.
Shadow Parade
I wrote this song the same day I finished “Across the Planets.” I was on a roll. I’m glad it worked out that way because the opener and closer feel like sisters, like the end cycles back to the beginning.
“Shadow Parade” is about how people and places will continue to be a part of you as you grow, even if they’re not in your life anymore. And, it’s about learning to find comfort in that.
