Album review: ‘Because You Love Everything’ by Marlaena Moore

Because You Love Everything was released by Marlaena Moore on January 17 and is Moore’s fourth album in the alternative/indie genre. Out of the 10 songs that made the album, “I Love Everything,” “Hungry For God,” and “Pacer,” were some that stood out to me.

The opening song, “I Love Everything,” starts the album off with the sound of drums and a dog barking in the background. The song is about an indecisive lover that cannot choose from their options because they want it all. “You can’t make up your mind / You break your own heart / Because you love everything.” You can hear the anguish in Moore’s voice at the end with the lyric, “Never love you back / The way you wish it would / No, it’s never been more.” These lines make you wonder if the subject of the song is a person or an inanimate object. If it was a lifeless body, how would it be able to choose or not?

“Hungry For God,” seems like a form of lamentation. The individual is suffering from watching all they touch wither. Nothing goes well for them and you can hear the anguish in Moore’s voice. The song is  about craving something, but the more they get closer to it, the more they hurt others. “I’m so grateful / For the basic need for / Endless replacement / Fill me, feed me.” Perhaps the title “Hungry For God,” refers to an insatiable appetite that credit card debts and failed relationships cannot satisfy. They are “hungry for God,” because only an eternal being can satisfy their never-ending desires.

“Pacer” is one of my favourite songs on this album. This is because the context is relatable to anyone that has tried to make someone love them back. The word “pacer” refers to a device used to control the heart’s beat. The individual in this song is their lover’s heart pacer. “I am a messenger / I can’t stop / And I’ll never keep it down.” Sadly, their dream partner might not have wanted them. The song expresses the singer’s efforts to hold their lover’s attention. Yet in the end, their efforts to get their attention were hopeless.

Although these songs in particular stuck with me, one downside is that there was not enough diversity in the tunes. While the lyrics were unique, the tunes on the other hand sounded quite basic and mechanized.

Because You Love Everything is an album for lovers of story-based songs, raw feelings, and indie/alternative genres. The visuals are retro, and there is a reliance on basic musical instruments like the drums. The visuals are blurred in a nice way, especially in “Pacer.” These little details are simple but make the album stand out. It’s the perfect album to listen to while riding a bike or reading a novel outdoors.