Marie Ulven Ringheim, best known as Girl in Red, is a Norwegian singer-songwriter that is best known for her releases “we fell in love in october” and “girls.” She initially gained popularity for “i wanna be your girlfriend,” her debut single.
Despite her known success, Girl in Red had only previously released one studio album, 2021’s “if i could make it go quiet,” and on Friday, April 12, she released her sophomore album, “I’M DOING IT AGAIN BABY!”
The new album kicks off with the track “I’m Back,” which details Girl in Red’s battle with mental health over the past couple of years. Despite her fight, she wins and the song continues on a hopeful note saying how she’s doing better and feels like herself again.
The titular song “DOING IT AGAIN BABY” was released as a teaser for the album and picks up the beat of what the album is: New and improved music from Girl in Red.
Next, “Too Much” brings forth a heartbreaking tale of the singer’s spouse claiming that she is “too much” for her. Girl in Red details how she always had to turn her personality and love down for this partner. This song was also released as a teaser before the album.
“Phantom Pain” is a recall to the heartbreak the singer felt when her now girlfriend first cut her off before the pair had officially started dating.
“This is about when I met my girlfriend three years ago, but before we called each other girlfriends, we were dating, just not officially. It turned out she wasn’t really free to date, so she cut me off the day after we had met and we were making out,” Girl in Red said for Apple Music.
Containing the only feature on the album, “You Need Me Now?” features Sabrina Carpenter in an upbeat and spiteful song about being done with someone post-breakup. Carpenter enters the song with a quick interlude that fits her personality and one that I personally really love.
“When I was writing this song, I knew Sabrina’s voice would be a great instrument to add. She’s an amazingly talented singer and writer. We wrote some stuff back and forth on FaceTime, and then she recorded it in the studio and immediately slammed it out — it was so good!” Girl in Red said for DIY Magazine.
Girl in Red has been with her girlfriend for three years now and details the night they first met in “A Night To Remember.”
In “Pick Me”, Girl in Red talks about one of her biggest insecurities, which is losing her partner to a man and the jealousy that follows it.
“Ugly Side” also broaches the topic of her insecurities. The song acknowledges that side of her that she is not proud of. It’s a song of self-reflection for the singer and she knows that this side of her is negative.
Wanting to bring closure to the matter, “New Love” details the feelings that come with watching an ex-partner fall in love with someone else for the first time. While the singer was struggling with that for a while, she wrote this song as a farewell to those feelings.
The last song of the album “★★★★★ (5 Stars)” wraps up the theme of creating new music for audiences everywhere and wondering if they’ll enjoy it.
Overall, “I’M DOING IT AGAIN BABY!” brings a new sound for Girl in Red and it’s a good one. She wanted to make songs for fun on this album, and she definitely achieved that goal.
