Standing on a precipice can be exciting or terrifying, depending on the person. On her new album Precipice, Indigo De Souza seems to be experiencing both at once.
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It could be because this new album finds the singer-songwriter fully venturing into the poppier territory she’s only hinted at on prior songs like “Hold U” and “Smog.” No matter how lo-fi and raw her acclaimed past albums were, it was always clear that De Souza had an ear for pop hooks and beats. Now she’s fully leaning into those tendencies, in her songwriting but also in her choices of partnering with producer Elliott Kozel (SZA, Yves Tumor), switching to the bigger label Loma Vista, and even recording in Los Angeles, versus her previous home base of North Carolina.
When you combine these new elements with her established intimate, DIY work, you get the dynamic contrast that makes up the beating heart of Precipice. This album is a collection of pop songs with an indie rock soul, equally ready to be played alongside Lorde or Soccer Mommy. If you want to immediately hear what that sounds like, De Souza’s best example—and an immediate standout track—is the album’s first single, “Heartthrob.” It’s De Souza’s most anthemic song yet (which is saying something since her “Hold U” has been on every playlist I’ve made for the past four years), with a driving beat ready to fill an arena. Yet the lyrics find De Souza taking back abuse from her youth to become a source of power moving forward, creating a darker, deeper experience than the bright riffs and chant-able “I really put my back into it!” chorus might initially suggest.
This balance of fun melodies with confessional lyrics continues across the album’s highlights. “Crying Over Nothing” is a twinkling ’80s-ish bop about allowing yourself to sit in the pain of a break-up. “Be Like the Water” is an ebb and flow of ephemeral synths about rediscovering strength in yourself. Even the album’s songs that choose one emotional lane balance each other out, as the Robyn-esque “Crush” and Mitski-adjacent “Heartbreaker” seem to be bookends to a relationship with the same person.
This mix of hard and soft is best captured on “Not Afraid,” a song that shifts from heavenly vocals into crunching keyboards as she sings about finding the confidence to love freely by facing mortality head-on. It’s as open-hearted a love song as I’ve heard in 2025, but the only one with a refrain like, “I’m not afraid of dying anymore.”
The album’s highlights shine so brightly that some of the other songs feel like uncertain works-in-progress or B-sides in waiting by comparison. “Dinner” and “Pass It By,” for instance, lack the confidence and eureka moments of Precipice’s best tracks. But these tracks still fit in sonically, thanks in part to Kozel’s production, which feels sophisticated and radio-friendly while still keeping an inviting warmth.
Precipice closes with the title track, an ode to hanging on during life’s most trying times. De Souza seems to be uncertain of what’s ahead of her, but hopefully she’ll continue to marry heartfelt lyrics with cathartic melodies for more songs that will have us all crying on the dance floor.
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