A Review of Below the Salt by Haley Blais
Released on August 25, 2020, Haley Blais’ Below the Salt is an album I wish I had during my first year of college. Coincidentally, that’s when I first started listening to Blais, a Vancouver-based singer-songwriter and vlogger whose wacky sense of humor and DIY bedroom-pop bangers resonated with me, a freshman living on her own for the very first time and trying to make sense of the world and herself. That unsure first-year is a senior now, but no less unsure, and I think that’s the point of Blais’ debut album: her label writes, “Below the Salt is a coming of age story that recognizes that there is no real ‘coming of age.’”
Standout tracks remind me of times in which I’ve faced a formidable yet exciting amount of growth during the past couple of years. “Too Good” is the song to listen to after a guy talks over you in conference, or you finally get the courage to bid farewell to toxic friends and lovers—as Blais proclaims, you are, after all, ‘too good.’ It’s not an anthem about realizing you’re better than everyone else, but rather better than the situation you’ve found yourself in, framed in a dreamy and danceable soundscape of harmony and sparkling synth. “On a Weekend” is an absolute bop to put on while dancing alone in your dorm room, when the constant FOMO subsides and you realize it’s more enjoyable to have your own fun than despair about being left out.“Be Your Own Muse,” a lilting Carole King-esque ballad, is less an in-your-face-declaration of self-confidence than it is the end of a messy yet ultimately satisfying process of finding peace in being alone, with the chorus concluding, “I guess sometimes/you just have to be your own muse.” This, ultimately, feels more real. And finally, “Firestarter.” This is the tearjerker, the one to cry to cathartically, as Blais’s vocals soar at the 2:37 mark, wholly beckoning you to feel the weight of your own self alongside her.
I hope this album speaks to you like it did to me, whether you’re experiencing these moments now or you’re now on the other side, carrying them with you. Because you’re never really done growing up.