22. February 2025
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Media Review

Suki Waterhouse – Memoir of a Sparklemuffin

Florian Buechtingby Florian Buechting

Suki Waterhouse - Memoir of a Sparklemuffin

Suki Waterhouse - Memoir of a Sparklemuffin
4.8

Rating

 4.8/5

Flyctory.com Pros

  • Very good storytelling
  • Good modern pop style with a very personal touch

In May 2022, I already introduced you to Suki Waterhouse. At that time, the British actress, model and singer released her album I Can’t Let Go. On 13th September 2024, she is releasing a new album. Even though my previous review has not been top notch, I was really curious about this album.

 

Suki Waterhouse – About The Artist

Suki Waterhouse was born on 5th January 1992 in Hammersmith in London. She is working in several parts of the entertainment business. At the age of of 16, she started to pursue a model career. Her acting career started some two years later, when she appeared in an episode of the TV series Material Girl. Compared to that, her musical career started rather late. In 2016, she released her debut single Brutally. Already her second song, Good Looking, made it up to a platinum record in the USA. However, none of her following releases could match that success so far. Memoir of a Sparklemuffin is her sophomore album. In March 2024, Waterhouse and her boyfriend Robert Pattison became parents of a daughter.

 

Suki Waterhouse – Memoir of a Sparklemuffin – Track by Track

The eighteen track album lasts 54 minutes.

1. Gateway Drug

The first six songs of the album are all shorter than three minutes. This leads to a very quick change of themes and sounds and leads to a very entertaining listen. The opener Gateway Drug starts very gentle and dreaming, but then suddenly boosts its power with energetic guitars. The fine sound of Waterhouse’s voice stays, though. This leads to a very catching opener.

Let me be your gateway drug
I can show you things
Get a little high off my love
Think it’s what you need

2. Supersad

After this musical wake-up call, Suku Waterhouse shares three single releases of the Memoir of a Sparkemuffin album. The first one is Supersad, a rhythmic uptempo track. There’s no point in beng supersad – and that does definitely not only apply to the story of the song. This one is a really nice song with nice vibes.

3. Blackout Drunk

The fine drumming is driving this song, which is again coming with a rather fast pace. Songs like this make me think whether the music industry is nowadays intentionally adding a touch of Taylor Swift to modern pop songs. Luckily, Suki Waterhouse adds her very own touch to this track, which is about relationship problems under the influence of alcohol.

You ruin every night, you always start the fight
Oh, why do I say that I love you?
Sweet dreams can’t sleep it off, wait ‘til I wake you up
Cause I can hardly wait to tell you all the shitty things that you’ve done
When you’re up blackout drunk

4. Faded

The guitar-driven fourth track Faded adds a very different touch to Memoir of a Sparkemuffin. The style of this song leans towards singer-songwriter tunes and folk-pop. This leads to a very relatable, personal, and truthful listening experience. The melody of this mid-tempo listen is also a very fine one. I really like it.

5. Nonchalant

Nonchalant is a just 2:21 minutes listen. Nonetheless, the track about that quintessential cool girl in a bar definitely leaves a mark. The melody is very catching and the composition of the guitar-driven sound and Suki’s high voice works very well. Nice track.

6. My Fun

The sixth track is another song which has already been shared before the album release. With its slightly damped voice and special arrangement, it feels like an indie-pop track. Suki Waterhouse is presenting a nice and wide range of songs in this first third of her 2024 album. I definitely appreciate that – and like all the different songs.

7. Model, Actress, Whatever

All of my dreams came true, the bigger the ocean, the deeper the blue
Call me a model, an actress, whatever
Other half of my baby, we stay together
All of the years in my eyes, fighting off lows, breathing in highs
Call me a lover, disaster, whatever
Other half of my story is with me forever

This track left the strongest mark for me personally when I was preparing the review of Memoir of a Sparkemuffin. The rather slow song feels very personal and deals with the different kind of reactions Suki Waterhouse receives. What a strong message by the British young lady.

8. To Get You

To Get You is the only track on the album, which exceeds a duration of four minutes. The ballad is having a melancholic touch. To get you, to know you, lost every little thing. You simply stay calm in here and listen to Suki’s story.

9. Lullaby

You and your blue eyes
Here in my room
Soft like the summertime
Us in the moon
Dream baby dream, you say
Turn off the light
I wish you’d always stay
Sleep through the night

The next song is the just two minutes Lullaby. The song indeed comes with a very fine and gentle sound, the artist’s voice voice is only accompanied by a fine background, in which only the piano dares to define a bit of a melody. I typically don’t like these kind of very short songs, but Lullaby is just right. Very nice recording.

10. Big Love

The guitars are strumming right at the beginning of Big Love, suggesting that the tenth song will be more intense again. The simple the chorus is in regards of its lyrics (Big love, big love, it’s all I want, big love), it does stay in your mind.

11. Lawsuit

If what they say is all true, good luck with that lawsuit, baby. The eleventh song is not lacking a bit of drama. The result is a song which is having the fine high voice of Suki Waterhouse, but also an intense and dramatic touch. It is coming with that feeling that you just have to listen to its full story.

12. OMG

The twelfth song is about a relation, about which your friends and people around warned you early. Oh my god, take me back the way I was – the song puts that story into a rough song with very fine and emotional parts. The music is nicely illustrating the struggle of the situation told in the song. I really like it.

13. Think Twice

Think Twice opens the last third of the album. With its strumming guitar and the present rhythm, it again feels like a pop track with slight folk influence. Despite the song feels a bit more easy, it does come with struggle in its story. I always think twice and go back for a third time.

14. Could’ve Been A Star

The song deals with a former crush coming back to your city, here Los Angeles. The song has again this modern Taylor Swift-alike touch of fluent melodies and a focus on very personal, emotional storytelling. In my point of view, this works out very well.

15. Legendary

I crossed the seas into the oceans
And my ship wrecked into you
Now, I see the world through red emotions
Had to take away the color blue

The very fine track Legendary comes with a beautiful and very intense focus on the vocals and its story. This leads to an amazing atmosphere, which makes you feel being close to Suki Waterhouse in this moment. This one might not be an airplay favorite, but it is an absolutely great piece of musical work.

16. Everybody Breaks Up Anyway

The title of the sixteenth song is already sending a rather pessimistic view on relationships. The song starts very melancholic, just having Suki’s vocals and the piano. There is some dramatic development in the song later. But overall, it is another very dramatic and atmospheric listen on Memoir of a Sparklemuffin. 

17. Helpless

Helpless follows a similar plot than the predecessor at the beginning, but overall, the second-last track of the album develops in a more intense way. A dramatic story, put into a very dramatic mood.

18. To Love

To love, to love, to love
Oh, how lucky we are

After all these dramatic stories, Suki Waterhouse’s sophomore album closes with a harmonic sound with a harmonic message. Could it be more beautiful.

 

Suki Waterhouse – Memoir of a Sparklemuffin – Spotify

Here is the album on Spotify:

 

Suki Waterhouse – Memoir of a Sparklemuffin – My View

Compared to her debut album, I feel that Suki Waterhouse made a big step forward in music. These songs are very intense, very relatable, very personal. You might initially struggle having 18 songs ahead of you when you start listening to the album. But Memoir of a Sparklemuffin gives you many great stories and memories. I loved listening to it.

Favorite Song: Legendary

 

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