It is often said what doesn’t kill us makes us strong. Cliched as it sounds, it is the truth, because adversity not only builds character but gives a better understanding and appreciation of what we have. In the case of Bishop Briggs, this clarity has been a lengthy traveled road full of ups, downs, disappointments, heartbreak, and loss. Not something unique to the average human experience, Briggs has found a way to harness all these emotions into her music from the moment she released her debut single “Wild Horses” into the present day.
Now a veteran present on the ever-changing music landscape, Briggs has released two impressive studio albums (2018’s Church of Scars and 2019’s Champion), three EPs (2016 and 2017’s self-titles, and 2023’s When Everything Went Dark), and consistently proven to a growing fanbase she is one of the most genuine artists out there. Full of raw emotion, Briggs is akin more to Classic Rock vocalists like Janis Joplin or Lucinda Williams, than modern contemporaries. Carrying with her a delivery that draws influence from Blues, Soul, Rock-n-Roll, and R&B, while Briggs has made her place in the Pop music realm, recognition by others is long overdue. In fact, no time is better than now to dig deeper into Briggs’s music, because on October 18, 2024, she will release her new studio album Tell My Therapist I’m Fine.
An attention-grabbing title, the album is the third full-length in her career and the first via Virgin Music Group. With a new label in tow, Briggs slightly shifts directions, delivering her most diverse collection of songs to date. As alluded to, Briggs has always shown her love for Rock-n-Roll; listen to the energy of songs like “River,” “Jekyll & Hyde,” or “High Water,” and you will see. Using these as points of reference, Tell My Therapist I’m Fine perhaps has the most Rock vibe of any album she has released.
Certainly leaning with Pop tendencies, there is no denying the intent with heavier usage of live guitars, drums, and bass throughout the album. With this in mind, the shift fits Briggs perfectly as her voice soars above each composition acting like a direct compliment. Consisting of ten songs, Tell My Therapist I’m Fine has a fire burning deep inside it where Briggs exhirates all that has been swirling around her in recent years; from the tragic loss of her sister to her own inequalities, to her self-proclaimed salvation in becoming a mother.
A remarkably inspiring story of feeling defeated, lonely, and lost, Briggs reminds us that we must turn inward to find the answers that we seek While many of us wander around feeling misplaced, the purpose has a great deal to do with these shifts toward positivity, as mentioned, Briggs found this in her child. In a better place now, she looks at her life as a blessing, because had she not gotten past the darker moments, she would never have found the joy in motherhood.
All explained for you to understand the light and drive behind the music in Tell My Therapist I’m Fine, the album seemingly flies by in the blink of an eye, but this is a product of each song being that good. With really no dips in quality, some must-listens amidst it all would have to include “My Serontonin,” “Hurt Me Now,” “Mona Lisa On A Mattress,” the powerful “Growing Pains,” and Heavy Rock vibed “Isolated Love.” Each drenched with classic Bishop Briggs signature vocals, including the ear-tingling raspier screams, there is not a moment to miss here.
Overall, Bishop Briggs has taken life by the throat, asserted that she will not be brought to her knees, and is a more complete person because of it. Now we can only hope that a broader audience sees the talent behind this vocalist because if they do not, they are honestly missing out. Bishop Briggs’ pinnacle moment, Cryptic Rock gives Tell My Therapist I’m Fine 5 out of 5 stars.
){kind=link}
No comment