House on the Water Album Cover. Photo Credit: Apple Music.
Singer-songwriter Ashley Kutcher released her debut album, House on the Water on January 26. The ten-song album highlights the conflicting emotions one experiences when in love whether it involves confusion, heartbreak, self-reflection, or hope.
The album starts off strong with, “Boy From Carolina,” one of the more upbeat tracks on the album. Along with having a catchy rhythm, Kutcher combines the complexity and simplicity of her emotions in the lyrics of her song. She first asks deeper questions regarding the hidden emotions of the boy she loves, saying, “How do I know your skin? How do I know your touch?” She then follows by asking more simple questions: “Is it me? Is it you? Is it us?”
Kutcher’s lyricism is one of her specialties throughout the album. “Silent” is one of my favorite songs on the album for this reason. The lyrics, “is it just a combination of this late intoxication,” and, “is it worth the conversation of a hopeless situation,” flow perfectly in the song. Kutcher also ironically includes voice layering at the end of this song, repeating how she’ll hide her true feelings with this layering. I appreciate the attention to detail Kutcher put into each song, especially “Silent.”
Kutcher’s music captures her raw emotion through her lyrics and voice. Her sound is extremely unique and soulful. “Girl In The Mirror” is her most powerful song. This song focuses on love, but not in a romantic way; it highlights the internal struggles she experiences with self-love that she cannot escape. By referring to herself in the third person, Kutcher steps out of her own shoes to observe the battle she’s fighting with herself. She sings, “she’s breaking my heart, but the reason it beats.” She depicts a scene between a couple fighting with “keys on the counter” and “one foot out the door,” but this is a fight that she can’t run away from. Many listeners will empathize with Kutcher’s introspective look.
Kutcher’s fan base largely comes from her TikTok account but she managed to avoid the pitfalls that many social media singers fall into. She didn’t design her songs to become trends; she crafted them authentically with her own sound. She seamlessly included unique concepts into her songs rather than making the concepts over and forced. This was most clear in “Favorite Color.” She incorporated colors into the song, but each lyric with a color had true meaning. She sings, “don’t leave me blue ‘cause I’m bleeding red when I’m without you.”
Kutcher rounded out the album with a hopeful, future-oriented title track, “House on the Water.” She imagines what her life will look like with the one she loves. While House on the Water is Kutcher’s first album, this isn’t her first big release. According to Spotify, she has released two EPs, one in 2021 and one in 2022.
House on the Water is a no-skip album and shows Kutcher’s continual growth as an artist. I highly recommend the album for those who like sad pop songs. Her music also may be appealing for those who listen to Tate McRae, Lizzy McAlpine, and Noah Kahan.
