P!NK: TRUSTFALL Review
P!NK’s Trustfall puts its faith into listeners as the pop icon gets vulnerable on her ninth studio album
By: Amanda Koehler
Alecia Beth Moore, better known as her stage name P!NK, has had a phenomenal solo career spanning 28 years now. She’s become a signature in pop with her tomboyish haircut, powerful vocals and expansion into an array of genres: R&B, rock, and with this newest release, folk included. As the artist was growing up through her teenage years, her initial writings were described as extremely vulnerable and introspective, and with that in mind, the songwriting on P!NK’s ninth studio album Trustfall is her return to those methods. This album, a project that took three years to reach completion, is brimming with both heartfelt songs where the sentimentality of Alecia’s voice is accompanied by a simple piano or guitar, and upbeat pop-type classics that made P!NK the household name she’s surely become.
Trustfall opens with a simple piano overlaid by P!NK’s sincere vocals, as she pours her heart out immediately, expressing the loss she has witnessed in recent years. This introductory track “When I Get There” looks toward the days the artist will join a lost loved one in the afterlife. Not only does she sing of this lost life on the album, but also lost love, as is displayed on the pleading “Long Way to Go” and later in the album on “Our Song” in which the moody piano and powerful vocals sounded reminiscent of “Jar of Hearts” by Christina Perri.
It is clear that P!NK has experienced her fair share of damage over the years, and it has taken quite the toll on the 43 year old popstar. On “Lost Cause” her vocals are muffled as if the song were recorded over a voicemail, layered over a melancholy piano melody. “I’m tired of thinking that tragic’s romantic, it’s bad hope,” she masterfully sings. This is easily the most raw the artist’s emotions can be heard on the album, the following track “Feel Something” proving to be a close second. The message on “Feel Something” is one felt by many, in that despite a feeling of brokenness and hopelessness due to past tragedy, one should continue on in their pursuit to find love.
The trauma that life has brought Alecia wasn’t navigated alone, however, as the title track suggests. P!NK has gained a support system in her family and friends that she speaks of highly, and indirectly refers to on back-to-back songs “Trustfall” and “Turbulence” toward the start of the record. The title track encourages listeners to stop running and face their fears, “what if we just fall?” being echoed repeatedly over a heavy, distorted bassline. “Turbulence” follows with the muffled strums of a guitar as P!NK allows her recognizable vocals to take the lead, singing “the panic is temporary, but I’ll be permanent” in the uplifting chorus.
The third message the singer intends to get across is that no matter what she’s been through or how the public perceives her, P!NK won’t take anyone’s bullshit. On “Hate Me” P!NK taps into her rock-laden past, belting over an electric guitar and an excited drumset with an almost sarcastic tone. “Never Gonna Not Dance Again” does exactly what the title suggests: makes you want to bust a move. The personal favorite of mine showcases the pop icon known and adored for a nearly 30 year career in a youthful glow. This track clarifies that she knows how to make a damn good pop hit, and if the first three minutes don’t sell you on that fact, the addition of trumpets as the song comes to a close should.
The most impressive thing about this album isn’t the iconic volume of P!NK’s vocal register, or the honest and relatable storytelling throughout, but rather the diversity of genre from start to finish. The two sides of the coin P!NK shows off for this particular record are pop, her signature sound where she’s found comfortable success, and folk, a genre unexpected though predictable through the choices of features on the album. Not only did P!NK require the assistance of one talented folk duo, but two, as she guested The Lumineers and First Aid Kit on “Long Way to Go” and “Kids in Love” respectively. She continued on to close out the album with the third and final feature from country legend Chris Stapleton (if his name isn’t enough to impress you, maybe his 8 grammys or the fact that he just recently sang the National Anthem at the Super Bowl will). With a twangy guitar under “Kids in Love” and an 80s pop synth (no doubt inspired by one of P!NK’s biggest influences, Madonna) on “Runaway”, the appeal for this album spans across wide audiences, and opens up P!NK’s sound to an entirely new group of listeners.
“This world requires a lot of trust right now,” the artist said, in reference to parenthood during a pandemic after experiencing great loss in her own life. During an interview with ET Canada regarding the album, when P!NK was questioned about who she wholeheartedly trusts to catch her when she falls, she blatantly answered “me” which proved to be a lesson for all who listened. This therapeutic experience of a record can be boiled down to the simple message that despite hardship and darkness, no matter how far one must dig, there is always a light at the end of the tunnel.