Cashavelly: Meditation Through Gunfire

Lucy Isabel recently dropped an album that felt very much like a Disney princess, and while I got the same vocal delights from Cashavelly on 2024’s Meditation Through Gunfire – this was as if that princess realized the prince was actually trash. Cashavelly proves within the confines of 16 tracks to be a woman with a family tree planted in toxic patriarchy who found her way through the negativity to come out the other end with an album that balances ballads, theatrical moments, and lyrical prowess comparable to that of Alanis Morissette. Plus, there’s a girl’s night anthem tossed in the mix that I couldn’t help but fall for. 

As far as that Jagged Little Note goes, songs with lyrics that really painted a picture of how over it Cashavelly was with the male species like the title track and “Part of Me Already a Ghost” gave Alanis as an artist, but there were also moments in which her performance reminded me of one of Canada’s finest based solely on the vibes she presented. Look to “Your Clue” and “The Queen” for that, but listen closely to the latter and you’ll get the same theatrical delivery one gets with Sara Bareilles. 

So those into those aforementioned dynamos will eat up what Cashavelly is dishing out, but as far as the meat of the meal – there’s a beautiful platter of fuck the dirtbags with a heap of feminine fervor on the menu as well. Whoever led Cashavelly to pen the line “Men are nothing without me” in the title track as well as the bevy of threats so wonderfully placed on display in “Lucky Duck” should be kind of thrilled that their bad behavior inspired this level of audible art. Where Cashavelly shines though is when she tears back the curtain on her family and highlights how the past has played an integral role in the present with “Rewrite” and “Ancestors.” With the latter also being this lovely homage to the women in her life, but that’s not the only anthemic girl power moment. I dare anyone to listen to “Prom” and not be humming it hours later. 

Cashavelly’s Meditation Through Gunfire is like an oversized broach on a cardigan; a bold statement piece. With 16 tracks it might take more than one pass-through to really get into everything this album has to offer, but it’s worth it to get songs that give modern-day Alanis with a bit more aggressiveness towards our male counterparts, but also some wonderful songs about the women in her life, both family and friends. Those who feel this is up their alley can get Meditation Through Gunfire wherever they get their music fix on October 18th. 

Cashavelly Meditation Through Gunfire
Release Date: October 18, 2024
Genre: Indie Pop 
Reasons to Sing Along: “Rewrite,” “Prom,” and “Ancestors”