There’s something quite radical about giving yourself permission to change; to become someone you want to be, but maybe not the person you once thought you should be. On ‘Everything All the Time’, ’s second album, the singer-songwriter embraces this acceptance, and the uncertainty that comes along the way, to produce something deeply personal.
Zahm is 28 years old and she’s come a long way in her career, from her stint on American Idol almost a decade ago to her 2022 viral hit ‘Fat Funny Friend’, and now ‘Everything All the Time’.
It feels almost like a manifesto for growth in parts, or how to grow while embracing the journey, set against a backdrop that contrasts mellow Americana with confrontational indie pop. “Why do I feel everything all the time?” she asks on the title track, the album opener. “The smallest things are big to me, I don’t know why.”
It really speaks to that feeling of not trying to suppress every emotion and feeling multiple things at once. There’s a sense that feeling things deeply isn’t something she needs to grow out of or apologise for, but something she can sit with. Change can be messy, and invite feelings of excitement, uncertainty, humour and hurt, but Zahm isn’t shying away.
On ‘Hometown Letdown’, she addresses the sort of comments she received after forging her own path away from the traditional, religious Idaho community she grew up in, poking fun at them. She’s turning their judgement into something she can laugh at, making it part of her story.
Then, she’s contemplating love interests on ‘Drunk Cigarette’, comparing them to a smoke on the way home after a few drinks, and touches on purity culture on ‘Jezebel’, likening herself to the oft-maligned biblical queen. “Now you’re too far gone / Now you’re too far from God,” she sings, showing her knack for approaching heavier subjects without letting them get bogged down in their own seriousness.
A warm, almost comforting listen as a result, the album is heavily inspired by , the beloved American children’s show she grew up watching. The show allowed her to embrace being herself, and there’s a similar sense of reassurance throughout the album, as she allows glimpses of who she’s gradually becoming to filter through.
She allows herself to feel, and she allows her songs to take up the space they deserve – which feels refreshing. Perhaps that’s what makes the album feel so human. Zahm doesn’t present herself as someone who’s got it all figured out, but it’s an honour to be with her on the way.
8/10