Indigo De Souza’s ‘All Of This Will End’ is a jarringly tasteful display of self-assurance, and the most confidently truthful the artist has been to date
Words by Matt Keenan
Shameless. That’s always been the word for me that's come to mind when thinking of Indigo De Souza.
That word comes to mind for her mostly as an artist, but as I have gone more in-depth into their body of work, including 2018’s I Love My Mom and 2021’s Any Shape You Take, I began to feel they are also shameless as a person in the most admirable sense. There is much that can be said about Indigo De Souza as a person, and not one word of it for me is something which does not present as anything short of admirable. She is an artist whose early works are colored by exploring the mortality of life and the limit on the connection you have to your time in this existence. For an artist who considered mortality and an existential sense of doom from such an early age, watching it come to life in her first two records was, to put it quite simply, a delightfully haunting experience. All Of This Will End offers more of the same that you’ve grown to love from Indigo De Souza, but tastefully more self-assured than ever before.
For me, Indigo De Souza has always been an artist that, more so than most, felt like the soundtrack to growing up. I Love My Mom and even Any Shape You Take felt like records that I could grow up with, or records that rather grew me up in some cases. Especially struggling with issues like mental health, the growing stress that comes with getting older, and pressures of making it all work all the time, Indigo De Souza is an artist whose work is shamelessly truthful. I’ll never forget the way “Pretty Pictures” stuck with me for such a long time and really still does; something about that shamelessly truthful nature and raw emotion of letting go of someone you love is nothing short of haunting. She truly is one of the only artists whose music I’ve personally had this experience with, how can you not be haunted by verses like:
“Pretty pictures on a screen, when I'm with you it’s like a dream
I promise you I'll always grow with you
And if my promise ever slips just trust I'll have the heart to quit
I know when I am better off a friend
It’s not what we wanted, but it's just what we get”
“Pretty Pictures” is just one of many tracks throughout their discography that is colored by this sometimes uncomfortably truthful and earnest self-exploration. Themes of such earnestly written self-exploration and contemplation of a collective impermanence continue to weave their way through each line in every track all throughout All Of This Will End.
As noted previously, De Souza sounds so much more self-assured on this record than her previous two. Returning more confidently to themes of dance-pop coupled with layers of sparkling synths and confidently vigorous elements of electronic percussion in a grand fashion, there is something to love on this record for everyone. Tracks like “Time Back” and “Parking Lot” offer a driven, sustained, and carefree exploration of life and this time. Instead of dreading the impermanence of life and fearing the reaper, this record seems to explore the beauty of such an impermanence and how that offers meaning to the life we choose to live.
For me, some of my favorite tracks on this record are “You Can Be Mean,” “The Water,” “Smog,” and “Younger and Dumber.” In their third showing to the world, Indigo De Souza presents a record which does not fear the end, but embraces the moment. In her newfound self-assurance, Indigo De Souza binds together a work of truth, celebrating life, and a journey of healing.
You can stream All Of This Will End below, and be sure to check out more from Indigo De Souza.