North Carolina indie rocker Indigo De Souza released her chilling, yet hopeful, third studio record, “All of This Will End,” on April 28. 

De Souza announced the release of the album in early February, sharing that it would be the most exciting and truthful of her releases. She hinted at the album’s theme of community in the caption of her announcement post, writing that “Healing begins with community.” 

The opening track “Time Back” sets the tone for the rest of the record with lyrics of hurt, growth, and reinvention: “And I’m so tired of crying/ I wanna get back up again,” she sings in a breathy, echoing tone just before the sign picks up.  The upbeat synths and drums fade out before she goes into another section of the track. “You’re bad / You suck … / I’m fine/ getting better/ Still want to,” over the sound of children playing. 

Most of the tracks are just about two minutes long. This really keeps the listener on their toes; as soon as one really gets immersed in the sound, it is already coming to a close. 

The explosive, guitar heavy “Wasting Your Time,” is the pinnacle of this style. The song does not follow the typical song structure, keeping listeners intrigued. De Souza sings short lines, hanging onto every last word, and letting the music ring out before repeating “wasting your time” as the music mellows out. The song quickly picks back up and De Souza ends it off with a few more lines before everything comes to a sudden stop. 

Another stand out track, “Always,” entices the ear with a soft electric guitar, vocals and fleeting lyrics. Approximately halfway through, the music picks up, drums come in and De Souza starts to scream. After the burst of energy, the music mellows out and De souza sings discouragingly:“Father – I thought you’d be here/ I thought you’d try.” 

“All of This Will End” is a wonderful mix of De Souza’s familiar indie-rock sound and a few genres she has yet to experiment with. The last two tracks “Not My Body” and “Younger & Dumber” have that country twangy guitar and storytelling approach. Meanwhile “Smog” has a lot of disco influence. 

De Souza mentioned in an interview with “them” that the album’s shift from past projects has mainly come from a gain in sense of self, community and stability. She says that the community aspect has made her much more confident in her ideas, making the outcome “brighter” and more hopeful than past projects. 

The album upholds a sentiment of hope and growth with tracks “Younger & Dumber” and “All of This Will End.” In the album’s title track, De Souza talks the listener through an inner monologue of uncertainty and the art of trying your best.  She candidly sings “I don’t have answers -no ones does/ I’ve been finding comfort in that / There’s only love / There’s only moving through and trying your best.”

De Souza evokes so much raw emotion in this record, from her tone to the lyrics and instrumentation to match; she knows exactly how to evoke the same emotions in the listener as she feels or experiences. 

This project exudes so much passion and confidence, as De Souza settles into her own sound, while exploring different genres yet never straying too far from her essence, De Souza has pulled off a beautifully genuine and introspective third album.