In her sophomore album, Love, Heartbreak, & Everything in Between, Canadian country singer-songwriter Tenille Arts debuts a pop-infused collection of 12 songs ranging from upbeat and infectious melodies to sentimental ballads illustrating the emotional rollercoaster of falling in and out of love.
With the added “in between” tracks expressing confident and heartfelt sentiments, Arts tastefully captures the current country-pop trend of releasing songs which resonate with both lovestruck and heartbroken listeners. Following her 2017 debut album, Rebel Child, which showcased hits such as “Moment of Weakness” and “Cold Feet”, Arts proves her evolution as a rising artist with her strong songwriting capabilities and striking vocals while indicating the draw of inspiration from an eventful and transformative two years since her first record—evident in her maturely-articulated lyrics.
Arts kicks off the album with the infectious single “Somebody Like That,” a vibrant radio-friendly tune about not settling for anything less than an all-in love. This catchy and danceable track shows her strong comeback, with its 3.5 million+ hits on Spotify. Arts then transitions into the smooth acoustics and soft percussion accompanied “Slow It Down” and “Wild Love” that make would fit into the backdrop of a summer night slow dance or weekend road trip. She tops of the “Love” portion of this album with “Butterfly Effect”, which makes a sonic transition complete with soft backing vocals and subtle use of synthesizers, offering a new taste to the audio palette of this album.
The next theme of “Heartbreak” is introduced with Arts’ top-played Spotify track, “I Hate This,'' impressively reaching the 6 million hits milestone. It’s no surprise this track is gaining traction with its catchy chorus and emotive lyrics, all accompanied by gorgeous harmonies, steady percussion with the added dobro instrumental hook giving this hit its twangy country element. Arts continues to pull on the heartbreak heartstrings with “Nothing to See Here”, a nostalgic track reminiscing on the dissolution of young love, then followed by the soulful “Another Life”, a piano ballad yearning the loss of a potential relationship that she mesmerizes listeners with exquisite vocals.
The concluding “In Between” tracks touch a variety of experiences that shows Arts’ range of writing material, including my personal favorite, “Missing You” and ending on a quintessentially country and edgy note with “Everybody know Everybody” depicting the stereotypical struggle of small-town life. Overall, the thematic progression of this album reflects the evolution of Arts as she infuses her record with insightful lyrics complemented by refreshing and experimental production, all tied together with country tones that make for a successful collection of compelling story-telling songs. This album showcases how Arts has mastered the delicate and complimentary balance between pop and country while keeping it an overall emotionally moving and engaging listen for fans in love, struggling with heartbreak, and navigating everything in between.
Written by Emily Brazis