Know-It-All

Introverts, cynics and heartbroken people of the world rejoice: Alessia Cara’s debut studio album, Know-It-All, is here, and it’s just what you’ve been looking for. 

Cara — known for her hit song “Here,” an anthem for “antisocial pessimists” who resent parties —  returns with a 10-track LP that capitalizes on the slick style of her breakthrough single while interweaving elements of indie pop, R&B and folk throughout the remaining tracks. 

Right from the get-go, listeners are pulled in by Cara’s glossy vocals, intricate harmonies and fresh perspectives on issues facing teenagers and twentysomethings. No better example of that trifecta can be found than in “Seventeen,” the album’s opening track. 

The song, a midtempo tune that comments on the process of growing up, starts with Cara’s raw vocals resounding over the production’s thudding percussion. (“My daddy says that life comes at you fast/ We all like blades of grass/ We come to prime, and in time we just wither away.”) 

The song reaches its peak in its Jessie J-esque chorus that finds Cara, 19, scaling to her higher register while reflecting on how her perception of aging has changed since she was younger (“Now I wish I could freeze the time at 17”).

“Seventeen” and the album’s next four tracks — all of them originally released on Cara’s EP, Four Pink Walls — set the album’s tone as one of coming-of-age ponderings and wary romance. The retro-infused “Outlaws,” a love song that relies on crime analogies such as “I’m Bonnie, you can be Clyde/ We’ll be outlaws,” showcases Cara’s proclivity to pen lyrics with a level of wit and depth. The romance Cara sings of in “Outlaws” is genuine, but the album’s next track, “I’m Yours,” shows a level of reservation toward romance. (“Oh I used to be so used to boys just using me/ For you to be you to me/ Feels new to me.”)

The fifth track, “Four Pink Walls,” stands out as one of the LP’s strongest, potentially upending “Here” as Cara’s best song. 

What first stands out about “Four Pink Walls” is the symbolism upon which it’s founded. The four pink walls symbolize Cara’s childhood bedroom, where she uploaded acoustic covers of songs to Youtube until Def Jam signed her. The track is filled with nostalgia for what has passed, even if what is present is everything she dreamed for. (“Went from ‘when boredom strikes’ to ‘Ms. Star on the Rise’ / It was all in an instant, man/ But those four pink walls, now I kinda miss them, man.”) 

There are no pop platitudes in the track — or most of Cara’s discography, for that matter — which plays a large part in establishing Know-It-All as one of the finest pop albums of the year. Cara doesn’t just sing about issues facing young adults today; she’s crafted a sonic diary of her personal struggles and musings that many will escape through and find comfort in. 

In this way, she’s eerily reminiscent of Lorde. When they rose to prominence, Lorde was a youthful 17 and Cara 18 going on 19. Lorde fashioned herself with a pop-punk aesthetic supported through her mildly dark fusion of pop and R&B. Cara dresses in a way to appeal to the ever-growing hipster culture and reaffirms that style with music that encourages individuality and bucking trends. Both were caught up in the limelight during one of the most uncertain parts of their lives, and the themes of their music reflect that. 

Just as Cara can rely on subtleties of her vocals and excel on melancholy tunes like “Overdose,” she can also create anthemic self-love songs like “Scars to Your Beautiful” that could easily dominate radio waves for months. (“You don’t have to change a thing / The world could change its heart / No scars to your beautiful, we’re stars and we’re beautiful.”)

In this way, she separates herself from Lorde and other young artists. Credited as a songwriter and co-producer in nearly all of the album’s tracks, Cara is also a vocal chameleon. She can belt an energetic chorus on a sugar-sweet pop song, immediately scale her voice back for a somber track and then riff on an R&B-style tune. 

With seemingly all the assets needed for a successful musical career, the sky’s the limit for Cara. Potential pitfalls do loom — like the dreaded sophomore slump or the precariousness of coming to adulthood under the bright spotlight of fame — but Cara’s lyricism shows she has a maturity beyond her years. If she can stay focused on the music and avoid distractions, Cara easily can be one our generation’s most prominent artists.