Hannah Georgas brings a glimmer of hope to I'd Be Lying If I Said I Didn't Care

Filling the twelve songs is a fusion of frustration, confusion, and borderline despair - but never hopelessness. Across the album, Georgas asks difficult questions about life to which we can all relate: "Will working all the time ever pay off?" or "How do I make sense of everything I thought I had?"

I'd Be Lying If I Said I Didn't Care is a slow burn of vulnerability, complete with subtle songwriting and honest lyricism – sounding like a collection of whispered secrets and primarily negative self-talk. Georgas does plenty to separate herself from a slew of similar artists in recent history by balancing heartbreaking lyrics, funny one-liners, and arcing the energetic pacing of the album like a shooting star.

We start with "Scratch," which gently accelerates us into the record with soft guitar strumming and Georgas asking herself “start from scratch / how do I do that?' Like many songs, Georgas incorporates nuanced vocal melodies that don't instantly get stuck in your head, but you'll find yourself whistling later. The lyrics are often heavy but never come across as heavy-handed.

From here, we get an uplifting tempo with an excellent chorus in "What I Don't Want" – one of the strongest tracks on the album. As a recurring theme, the song looks on the bright side of the negative, musing that 'you make me know what I don't want."

The uplifted spirit aesthetic continues until we reach "Beautiful View" – a song soaking in sorrow and a regretful reflection of not enjoying the ‘beautiful view’ she had, singing 'I'm only noticing now / I've been walking around this whole time with my head down.”' The most impressive part of the lyrical themes on this album is that they are both accessible and impactful – allowing the audience to connect with them without having to strain indefinitely for potential meanings.

The album keeps giving along the way - inserting a few shorter interludes on our path that neatly keep ears engaged, including "Drew's a Beast," a gorgeous flowing river of emotive strings. In "This Too Shall Pass," we can extrapolate the central message Georgas is trying to convey, a microcosm of I'd Be Lying If I Said I Didn't Care; no matter how harsh the inner self-talk or situation, time heals all wounds, this too shall pass.

Nestled into the album's back half, the overall vibe gets a shake-up. One of the surprise songs is "Money Makes You Cool," which blasts a wonderfully produced beat over a powerful vocal hook during the chorus. Like an unexpected crescendo, the song rises at the end of I'd Be Lying If I Said I Didn't Care, adding intrigue and depth to the overall experience.

I'd Be Lying If I Said I Didn't Care is not an easy listen. It's a cold lake on a summer's day – not immediately comforting, but if you commit to the activity, you'll be unaware of how long you've been enjoying it. The overarching feeling of optimism keeps the record above water and prevents it from falling into an unenjoyable experience. There is always a glimmer of hope that shines a light on the painful experiences we can all understand.