Album Review: The Aces - 'I’ve Loved You For So Long'
The Aces released their third studio album ‘I’ve Loved You for So Long’ featuring eleven nostalgic tracks including new single ‘Attention’.
Beloved indie-pop quartet The Aces kicked off Pride month with the release of their highly-anticipated third studio album, ‘I’ve Loved You for So Long’ via Red Bull Records. The new album spans eleven tracks, where we see the band reflect on their childhood and unpacking their early experiences with closeted love and religious trauma, and how that has influenced their relationships, mental health and identity in the present.
Even though the themes of the tracks carry weight, the songs are liberating combined with nostalgic hints of 80s pop and 90s alt-rock. Produced by Keith Varon, who has worked with Joji, JORDY and Chloe Moriondo. The album stemmed from months of studio sessions during the pandemic, which became a coping mechanism for The Aces and turned into a safe place for them to connect with their inner-child. Resulting in their most self-assured work to date and a retrospective through 15 years of growing up together, only to realise that the band is the greatest love of their lives.
Lead singer Cristal Ramirez shares that ‘I’ve Loved You for So Long’ is about reconnection as things have never been clearer then when they looked back. “Every year I feel like a different person. Older, wiser, but my problems are still the same as they’ve always been. The lessons that keep repeating themselves; some it seems, never learned. What I realized while making this record, was a surprising and subtle revelation. While trying to tell the stories of the now, of endless days and nights paralyzed by anxiety, fear, and a world out of control, there was someone else who everything kept pointing back to. A 14-year-old queer girl from the suburbs of religious Utah, who’s only real joy and peace was found puzzle piecing melodies together in the basement with a guitar she snuck out of her older brother's room.”
Finding inspiration in the likes of The Cranberries and LCD Soundsystem, The Aces experimented with new styles although they remained authentic to their roots. Their early singles caught the attention of Apple Radio, BBC Radio 1 and KCRW and they have racked up over 12 million streams ahead of today’s release. Next with ‘I’ve Loved You for So Long’ going on the road, The Aces are headlining shows in 30 cities globally, alongside festivals at Fork Fest, Sziget and Pukkelpop. The Aces will be embarking on a UK headline tour, with their London date getting a venue upgrade due to the high-ticket demand. Throughout The Aces tour they are partnering with Sound Mind, which is a non-profit organization which focuses on building a community and open dialogue around mental health through music, to provide mental health resources to fans in each city.
The new single ‘Attention’ is an exploration of conflicting feelings as Cristal says “I think one of the funniest things about life is that your greatest dreams can become your greatest source of loneliness.” How some dreams can pull you away from the most important person in their life and how every aspiration has its price to pay. So, for ‘I’ve Loved You for So Long’ we should expect tracks that ruminate on mental health and self-sabotage to searing anthems about love, longing, and heartbreak.
Words by Bethany Simms
