Clairo is one of the many rising female indie artists taking music by storm due to her honest and vulnerable lyrics that interlace with atmospheric and lo-fi production. Clairo, a.k.a. Claire Cottril, has been uploading music online since her early teens back in 2013. She has self-labeled herself as a do-it-yourself artist; however, some critics have pointed out that her father has significant connections in the music industry. Regardless of those connections though, Clairo’s music speaks for itself. After gaining significant traction with singles “Pretty Girl” and “Flaming Hot Cheetos” in 2017 and 2018 respectively, she started getting millions of views on her Youtube channel. On her first full-length album, “Immunity,” Clairo puts forth a raw and beautiful collection of songs that follow her personal experiences in and out of love.

Throughout the entire album, Clairo uses emotion as a centerpiece to each song intertwining deep lyrics with gentle piano and guitar melodies. The album begins with “Alewife” and immediately grips the listener with its intense emotion. With a soft piano melody dancing around lyrics such as, “You saved me from doin’ something to myself that night.” The intimate lyricism that Clario portrays throughout the album draws the listener in and the charming sonic melodies keep you coming back for more.

Outside of the lyrics, the atmospheric production on “Immunity” invokes plenty of emotions on its own for the listener. On “North,” a catchy percussion beat starts off the song, but then guitars can be heard seemingly in the distance throughout. Clairo then distorts the tone of her voice from loud to quiet a few times. All the movement in the song sonically develops a sense of longing and separation for the listener. Because of the well-thought-out atmospheres Clairo generates on “Immunity,” the album carries layers of sounds and emotions to discover.

Within the formula of a stark atmosphere and introspective lyricism, Clairo constructed multiple timeless hits on “Immunity.” The two tracks that stood out were “Bags” and “Sofia.” Both songs blend reflective guitars with upbeat percussion and then lyrically relay the trials of love and loss. On “Bags,” Clairo devises a breakup anthem that remains upbeat musically but melancholy in the topic. With the lyrics, “I guess this could be worse. Walking out the door with your bags.” Later on, “Sofia” takes on the same upbeat tone but this time traverses over the topic of love, “If only to say, you’re mine. Sofia know that you and I shouldn’t feel like a crime.”

The album ends with the daunting “I Wouldn’t Ask You,” which is a soft piano ballad that transforms into a dance-ready celebration. The song is the perfect ending to an introspective and atmospheric album because, like the album, it has multiple levels, yet remains simple enough to sing along to. The only critique of the the album as a listener was that it veers into directions that don’t feel entirely coherent with the rest of the songs at times, such as on “Sinking.” However, “Immunity” seems to be the atmospheric representation of where Clairo is at both musically and personally, and all the songs do fit somewhat into that same sonic mold. Throughout “Immunity,” Clairo fearlessly composes entirely authentic, yet catchy, anthems that make the listener feel a part of the artist’s own pain and bliss.