Tomberlin Bares Her Heart In Crushing "At Weddings"

When faced with loneliness, seeing togetherness, or an unbreakable connection between another can be truly painful. That's what Tomberlin battles in her debut record. Tomberlin bares her heart in the crushing At Weddings, a simple yet powerful record that only sings with true emotion.

You can't listen to At Weddings without at least a little bit of pain. Tomberlin covers it all, from the pain of seeing others all the way to the pain of self-hate. Before she dives deep into the real grit, she begins introspectively. Her timbre flows reflectively in opening track 'Any Other Way,' the sweet vocals knowingly lost and trying to be optimistic. That attempt fades quick as she digs deeper into what truly hurts. 'Untitled 1' is a painful, haunted ode to a past love, the hurt crooning begging to escape what she can't let go of: "But there's one thing that I do know / You're violence, and there's a war in my mind because I wanted to be near you, but I love you." Her sadness takes many forms throughout At Weddings, from the disorienting 'Untitled 2' to the accepting, hopeless end 'February,' where it almost seems like she's at a loss for words.

With inescapable pain comes self-blame, and Tomberlin constantly wishes for change. 'A Video Game' may have an enchanting atmosphere to it, but in it, Tomberlin wishes to be something better. She cries, "You said that I’m a cloud in your video game / I wish I was a hero with something beautiful to say," begging to be more to someone else. 'I'm Not Scared' follows, and it might just be the most crushingly sad track on the record. It's all about depression, Tomberlin documenting the energy it takes just to get out of bed and eat. The song ominously ends with a solemn accepting of her fate: "And to be a woman is to be in pain / And my body reminds me almost everyday that I was made for another, but I don’t want to know that / Cause it happened once and I always look back." Her reflecting on the past always seems to grab at her and never let go, even taking hold of her in the dreamy 'Seventeen' and the beautiful build of 'Self-Help.'

Tomberlin bares her heart in the crushing At Weddings, her debut record that dives deep into her soul and pain. It's hard for any artist to find this sort of honesty or strength to be so honest in the face of hopelessness, yet Tomberlin swallows her fear and lays it all out in the open in hopes of recovering. As heartbreaking as it is, it's a beautiful piece of art that truly captures that distinct feeling of loneliness in a world where it seems no one else but you is.

Favorite Tracks: I'm Not Scared, Untitled 1

Least Favorite Track: You Are Here

Rating: 80 / 100

Stream or buy At Weddings on Apple Music, and follow our 2018 Playlist on Spotify: