Chelsea Cutler Releases Debut Album “How To Be Human”
Written by Emily Ellis
Graphic by Emily Lantzy
On Friday, January 17, Connecticut-based pop singer Chelsea Cutler released her debut album How To Be Human, and it seems to really be taking off. This album follows the release of her four lead singles: “I Was In Heaven,” “You Are Losing Me,” “Lucky,” and “How To Be Human.”
This album covers the general theme of heartbreak and all of the afterthoughts that come along with it. On November 4, 2019, Cutler tweeted about the album while in the process of creating it, stating: “How To Be Human. My debut full length album. A story of my experiences with love, pain, god, and existentialism as I learn what it means to be 22 and alive. January 2020.”
How To Be Human begins with the track “Sad Tonight.” It starts the album off with Cutler’s signature soft voice paired with the contrast of the EDM-like beat. However, unlike some of her previous work, her debut album seems to go in more of a pop direction. This song is then followed by “Strangers Again,” which uses the line “It’s so lonely in this room / But I’m too scared now to move” to make the audience understand the isolation that Cutler is feeling and conveying.
Cutler also attempts to pull at the heartstrings of the listener by ending “What Would It Take” with the line, “What would it take to make me let go?” after repeating a somewhat contradicting line, “What would it take to make you come home?,” throughout the song. This shows the growth that she has been through even just in the span of the almost 4-minute song. Following this track is one of the previously mentioned singles, “I Was In Heaven,” where she expresses how even though she was being hurt by her ex, she would never let them go, as she still dreams of them.
Up next is “Are You Listening,” where Cutler uses the line, “Something ‘bout this life that’s beginning to get boring,” in which she is expressing how she feels like she’s losing interest in her career. This is a bold statement that she makes on a debut album, which can also be heard later on in another single, “You Are Losing Me.” In a statement on Instagram after releasing this single, Cutler states, “For the last eight months or so, I’ve felt really detached from my career. I’ve felt as though I’d fallen out of love with music... I know that changing my mindset and learning to love my career again will not happen overnight. But I feel so liberated by this new freedom I have to fall back in love with music.” This goes to show that despite the struggles that Cutler may have as a part of the music industry, she continues to persevere and make music.
In the song “nj,” Cutler uses her love for New Jersey as symbolism for her love of her ex. This track starts out with the sound of sirens, which is a sound commonly heard in New Jersey. Throughout the song, she reflects on some of the memories that she made with her ex and how she wants to go back to it. Following this, “Somebody Else Will Get Your Eyes” expresses her pain on her breakup with this ex, which can be heard in the line “You look so much happier / Without me here.” In this track, Cutler is coming to the realization that her ex is better off without her. Later on in the song, the phrase “I’m still learning” is repeated to have the dramatic effect for the listener that she is still trying to figure out the idea of being on her own.
In the next track, “I Miss You,” Cutler’s voice hits a higher note at the end of each line. She tends to be experimenting quite a bit more with her sound in this album, which can be seen clearly in this track with the echoing of the lyrics in the last chorus. Next up, “The Human Condition” uses an upbeat tempo to convey the message that she states: “It’s all gonna be okay.” Still trying to get through her painful breakup, this is a brief lyric in which she is convincing herself that everything is just a part of the human condition.
In the third single from the album, “Lucky” featuring Alexander 23, we see a different perspective of love from Cutler. She spreads the message that she feels lucky to be in love with this person and how happy they make her. Following this, “I Should Let You Go” continues on the theme of heartbreak that Cutler follows throughout the album. In the last chorus, she asks the question, “You know I’m not over it, tell me is it over yet?” This is a powerful message she uses to make the listener understand the hardship she is going through trying to accept the breakup she has recently been through.
The last single and title track of the album, “How To Be Human,” discusses the way that Cutler is still struggling to function as a human. The weight of this can be heard in the line, “Thought I’d know it all by 21 / But I still don’t know / How to be human.” Following this, “New Recording 28 - Lions” shows a whole new level of authenticity to her music. This track is recorded in a voice-memo style, as the title suggests, which makes the meaning of the song even more raw and emotional.
The last official track of the album, “Crazier Things,” ends the album off an a bleak note. One of the powerful statements Cutler makes in this song is “It amazes me you move on so easily / From someone you once called home.” Furthermore, she sings the line “I’ll spend my whole life / Missing a part of me.” This shows the toll that this heartbreak has had on her life and just how much it will continue to affect her.
“you were good to me” featuring Jeremy Zucker is a bonus track. This song was originally released on the joint-EP put out by the pair of artists and became a viral hit. With this track and the brand new album, Chelsea Cutler is gaining traction very quickly and will soon become an unforgettable name known around the world. Overall, things seem to be really looking up for Cutler. Make sure to get your tickets for her upcoming tour, which kicks off February 13!