By Mia Shea
Staff Writer
The 11-track album “brent iii,” by Jeremy Zucker and Chelsea Cutler, was released on Nov. 1. The emotional instrumental and heartfelt lyrics embody friendship, loss and reminiscing on old times.
“Brent iii” is a continuation of the “brent” EPs released by Zucker and Cutler. This is their first album together, preceded by the EPs titled “brent” and “brent ii.” The release of “brent iii” now completes the trilogy.
Throughout the album, there is an essence of intimacy, authenticity, love and friendship embedded in the record. The record takes you on a journey where you are forced to reminisce on each of these important moments.
The album opens with the track “ashes & rust.” I was immediately blown away by the song’s soothing rhythm and beautiful lyrics. It sets the mood for this particularly heartfelt album and allows us to feel to the core of each artists’ emotions toward life.
The next track is titled “A-frame,” which was the second single from this record, released on Oct. 11. This sweet and sentimental love song lets the listener in on the unfiltered sweetness of being in love.
I thoroughly enjoyed this track, and the main chorus in which the duo sings, “I'll always be home when you're home, we're saying, ‘I love you,’ and dancing real slow/The middle of nowhere, still, you make it feel like home.” These lyrics are so sweet and pure, embodying the rawness of being in love.
The record then scales back a bit and transitions to sadder ballad tracks with “i miss you” and “terrible things.” Both deal with heartbreak and the emptiness of losing a lover.
The fifth track and first single, which was released on Sept. 13, is titled “black & white.” This song is unique because of the way that the lyrics start sorrowful but slowly transition into a ballad dedicated to a lover. I was really fond of the way that this track was structured.
As the record continues, there is a prominent balance of sad breakup songs about loss — such as “five minutes,” “love you into loving me” and “toothbrush song” — as well as love songs that also focus on self growth, such as “A-frame” and “and the government too!” This allows for a nice blend and contrast within the album.
The record closes with the song “good things,” which encapsulates the idea that good things always come to an end. This song is unlike the rest on the album, as there is something so nostalgic and calming about it, while it also reminisces on the idea of change.
I believe that this was the perfect ending to “brent iii” because of how the instrumentals become more intense. This song perfectly represents the rest of the album with the message behind it, as well as tying in pieces of the love story with other songs.
The blend of Zucker and Cutler’s voices is also incredible. The two sound so cohesive together and their voices have so much chemistry despite them not being romantically involved.
Lyrically, the record is extremely well done. Zucker and Cutler are both credited with writing, and you can hear the passion in each of their voices as they sing.
The album overall showcases Zucker and Cutler’s raw emotions as they reminisce on old times, love and loss. As a debut album following two EPs, it maintains that same message, but highlights the artists’ versatility when it comes to songwriting and singing.
