Fashion Club - ‘A Love You Cannot Shake’ review
Fashion Club by Katherine Tilford
The first word that comes to mind when I think about Fashion Club’s latest album is ‘reflectiveness’. A Love You Cannot Shake, released by Felte Records, feels like a sincere insight into Pascal Stevenson’s journey through feelings of uncertainty and dysphoria towards self-acceptance; references to her transness and struggles with sobriety give this album a beautiful sense of transparency. Having been invited to navigate these feelings with her, I am left feeling pensive by the album’s conclusion. Self-mixed and produced by the LA-based artist, the same as her debut LP released in 2021, Fashion Club’s record mixes genres in a way that creates a dynamic texture which perfectly accompanies her unique voice.
The album begins with a mass of reverberating sounds that portray the feeling of being confronted with something massive. In this sense, ‘Faith’ is foreshadowing what’s to come in the remainder of the album; a confrontation with one’s sense of self. This is enhanced by a repetitive drum beat that makes you feel like you’re taking slow steps towards something inevitable. The poetic, carefully delivered lyrics over the top of the swirling instrumentals is reminiscent of The 1975’s opening track in both their debut, self-titled album and ‘I like it when you sleep, for you are so beautiful yet so unaware of it’.
Following this powerful introduction, ‘Confusion’ is led by a wave of dreamy synths that gets cut through by a punchy, indie drum beat. The sound swirls and spirals upwards until it’s suddenly stripped back to a catchy combination of drums and bass guitar. This song describes moving through life without really being present; simply going through the motions. The lines “a fantasy to get through the day…it’s all I have left” and “I get by on illusion” show the artist’s craving for escapism, doing anything to avoid accepting the reality of her life as it is now.
This feeling of disconnectedness and vacancy is something that many trans people experience as part of gender dysphoria, so the “fantasy” she is referring to here could be the true realisation of her gender identity. During the chorus, Fashion Club’s vocal delivery has a certain swing to it that makes it sound like she’s pleading with the listener, asking the question “Don’t you ever feel upset?”. She’s searching for someone to connect with, to understand and validate her experiences during this time of isolated disorientation.
The next track, ‘Forget’, showcases a harmonious collaboration with Perfume Genius. The sounds of these two artists compliment each other perfectly, as I would say the general tone of the album reminds me a lot of Perfume Genius’ work. This is definitely a partnership I’d like to hear more of in the future, it would almost be rude to deny us of this! The song’s structure echoes that of ‘Faith’, with shaky instrumentals and gentle vocals that feel like a pause for reflection. Here we see a continuation of the themes of the last track, with lyrics like “it’s almost like the history isn’t mine”.
‘Ghost’, featuring Jay Som, is the most upbeat, electronica style song on the album, giving us an opportunity to get up and dance off the heavy feelings of the album so far. This is immediately contrasted by the opening of the next track ‘Enough’, which is led by a delicate acoustic guitar. Here, Stevenson references the impact that addiction has had on her mental health. The lyric “it was easier when I was numb”, describes how she was avoiding facing her true feelings by dulling her mind with alcohol.
‘One Day’, is the kind of song you press play on right before leaving the house, it’s got the type of drum beat you can really pound the pavement to. The song’s upbeat, poppy feel stands in direct contrast to the lyrics being sung. This dichotomy can be noticed a lot throughout the album, sometimes you don’t notice the darkness hidden in the lyrics thanks to the catchy instrumentals. It’s almost as if Stevenson has come to accept her unhappiness as unchangeable, with the repetition of the line “One day will never come”.
‘Rotten Mind’ featuring Julie Bryne is a standout track for me, the moody guitar and pretty harmonies create such a thoughtful tone that feels like a sigh after the preceding song ‘Deny’, which utilizes mechanical, pounding electronic sounds. The messy-sounding recording of ragged breathing at the start of the song suggests that Stevenson is running out of energy to continue running away from everything, it’s very powerful. This idea is reinforced by the repeated line “I know you know the answer”, after all of the self-doubt and mental anguish that’s been portrayed throughout this album, we are finally seeing the glimmers of resolution for Fashion Club. A Love You Cannot Shake concludes with the song ‘Deify’, which kicks off with a heavy, dramatic drumming sequence that feels as though you’re marching towards a battlefield.
It’s clear that Fashion Club has found some strength to fight the demons that have been stalking her up until now. This is a very satisfying and optimistic end to the album which I think many listeners, especially those who can relate to Fashion Club’s experiences, will find inspiring. The song ends with a transition into gentle strings and piano which suggest that Fashion Club has finally found peace and breathing space within her own mind, after such a difficult time. This album’s ability to masterfully articulate such a journey is equally impressive as it is important: the lives of trans women of colour truly need to be celebrated.
A Love You Cannot Shake from Fashion Club is out 25 October via Felte Records and available on all good streaming platforms.
