Kylie Fox’s Green, her first full-length album, finds itself perpetually amidst poignant intersections. The selection of songs found on the album has the Saint John singer-songwriter with her head ever on a swivel between nostalgia and now, love and loss, or home and the road. These contrasting components blend with her distinctly Joni Mitchell-influenced style into a thoughtful, heartfelt delight of an album.
Fox shines as a storyteller on the set. She presents herself in a myriad of dynamics, showcasing different elements of life as well as her personality. On “Glowstars,” she cleverly and keenly regales us with the tale of being a substitute teacher; as she teaches kindergarten she worries she’s a faker “just a babysitter in a blazer”. She then shifts to teaching high school science where she uniquely blends in with the transitional nature of her students since she is playing these various teaching roles while she finds herself living back at home with her parents, “Glowstars on my ceiling, I can hear my Dad snoring. My lunch is in the fridge, it’s packed for school in the morning.”
“Avocado” has Fox expertly and empathetically placing herself in a friend’s maternity jeans, crafting a beautiful yet very honest portrait of parenthood. The title alone about the delightfully odd (when contemplated) practice of comparing a developing child to all manners of fruits or produce. She touches on the fun and follies of finding yourself expecting; getting newly flexible clothing, announcing the addition, and answering questions of whether it was intentional or not (to which she replies “bitch” under her breath). She then continues to run the gamut to the anxieties, worries, and challenges which definitely did not subside upon the arrival of the aforementioned avocado. Fox ponders what features came from who, the sustainability of blanket forts as a solution to life’s problems, and the very real fear of most parents of how to handle when your child starts to assert their independence and pushes you away. “Someday they may not let you brush their hair or tell you who Zack is.” In my experience, the hair brushing opposition can come on pretty quick but I am unaware of this Zack fella, so you’re going to have to do some sleuthing.
Matters of the heart find centre stage on a few songs, though ever presented with Fox’s wit and style. She evokes beauty amidst the mundane throughout much of the album and when that spark catches with a romantic partner, we get songs like “Cool Feet” and “Face.”
“Cool Feet” is in the running for the best wedding gift ever. The song tells the story of a friend who was fortunate enough to marry their best friend and the life they are building together; nothing opulent or extravagant by any means, but the “castle on this marsh” they built is no doubt warm enough that she requires those “Cool Feet” plenty.
“Face’ completes the album with the shining appreciation of all the facial expressions she spots from the burdened (“when you’re lifting something heavy”), cute (“when you pretend that you like what I cooked you”), the lewd (“when you see me in something skimpy”).
It’s not modern fairytale endings for Kylie Fox though, she presents us with an all-too-relatable and accurate internal monologue of the lonely on “Horny and Bored” and weaves a heartbreaking tale of two friends toying with the notion of being something more on a night at the Sports Bar. The chorus debates what is holding them back, “Are we holding out for friendship? Are we holding out in vain”. Goodbyes and the distance and detachment we develop from those who were once so close are tackles on “I See Green,” but those goodbyes and changes are given a proper reframe as opportunities amidst the questions and uncertainty they bring.
Elements of the east coast are scattered throughout the album that many would not stereotypically musically connect with our dear home provinces (no fiddles needed). They are never more evident though than on her love song penned to Moosehead on “This Beer.” The song is more of a nostalgia trip through the many people, places, and activities she connects that particular brand to, though I do think a sponsorship deal wouldn’t be out of the question.
On Green, Kylie Fox stands firm, proud, and content amidst her clever crossroads. Wherever in life, she finds herself, her songs brim with insight and seamlessly shrugs off elements of bitterness. The songs paint a picture of a talent who may not necessarily have arrived at some magical ending point or final goal but one who appreciates where she is and has been.