Ryan Beatty: Calico Review

Rating: 7.5

Genre: Indie Pop

Label: Warner Music, Atlantic, Elektra

I initially found this album through Lizzy McAlpine’s Instagram story, a shout out to the song “White Teeth” and its producer Ethan Gruska. I was curious to hear what it would sound like, as Gruska was one the co-producers for the critically-acclaimed indie rock album Punisher by Phoebe Bridgers. 

Clicking directly into Spotify from Instagram, the intro guitar sequence for “White Teeth” starts to play. It’s kind of giving Taylor Swift’s Speak Now. Beatty’s voice is very forward in the mix, and his lyrics are delivered with clarity — he sings about a seemingly young, clandestine romance. “You’re out there leaving me little clues” and “Still water what’s our code name?” I liked what I heard, and decided to give the album a listen.

Chorus from “White Teeth”

Released on April 28th, 2023, Calico is one of my favorite albums of 2023 so far. It’s concise at 10 tracks, primarily an indie pop folk record driven by acoustic instrumentation and light production. Gruska adds a few flares of synths here and there (in “Andromeda”, for example), but the core of this album lies within the harmonies, lyrics, and vocals that Beatty delivers. It’s not as production-heavy as Punisher, but the influences of Gruska definitely carry over in the synth swells and unique song outros. It’s almost like Gruska signs off each track — with a fleeting, breathy flute in “Multiple Endings,” or a heavily distorted guitar in “Cinnamon Bread.”

Indie melodies usually conform strictly to major chord progressions, and this album is no exception. There are a couple songs where the melodies do fall flat after a couple repetitions, (“Bruises on the Peach” and “Bright Red”, for example). A lot of songs on this album employ a call and response melody line, featuring short phrases that answer those before but repeat in slightly different melodies. Conversely, songs like “Cinnamon Bread” expand on repetitive verses into a melodically unique B section. What results is a beautiful, orchestral swell that resolves back to the root note of the verses.

B section from “Cinnamon Bread”

On the lyrical front, this album is strong. Each song is a small vignette into a particular person, or story that Beatty describes. It’s in the lyrics and the phrasing that Beatty’s R&B influences come through. “Multiple Endings” is a great example of this. There’s only two components to this song — a reverbed, ambient piano (one of my favorite sounds), and Beatty’s voice. The movement of the main piano melody creates a beautiful ebb and flow with Beatty’s melodic phrases. Despite it having only acoustic piano, this track feels energetic, as Beatty’s phrasing carries a rhythm against the shimmering piano. Beatty sings about a seemingly toxic relationship, contemplating the lengths he went to love this person: “I went through days with multiple endings just to get through,” and “I did you wrong, you did me ten times back.” This song shows Beatty at his most introspective, comparing his treacherous love with this person to the impending storm on the Texas horizon.

Short rhythmic phrases against a syncopated piano lead in “Multiple Endings”

This review would not be complete without mentioning my favorite song on the album, “Andromeda.” Cinematic and immersive, this song is a testament to the musical chemistry between Gruska and Beatty. Like almost all the songs on this album, “Andromeda” starts off with acoustic guitar and a tight woodwind lead that weaves in and out of Beatty’s verses. Suddenly, strings come in with widened vocal harmonies and a beefy synth bass. Legato strings transition to a buzzing tremolo to build suspense. These extra details add an incredible depth and width to the soundscape that Gruska paints. As the chorus builds in intensity, the image that comes to mind is the steadily growing plume of burnt fuel around a rocket ship, as it prepares for takeoff. It’s one of those rare moments where the production mirrors the lyrical content so well — against the descending synth bass, Beatty compares the fever dream of love to being sent flying from Andromeda (the closest galaxy to The Milky Way, had to search this one up). Spinning out of control, Beatty describes seeing Jupiter on the horizon, as if he’s sent from a rocket ship of his own. What results is one of the strongest choruses on this album, both on the lyrical and production front. Side note: I wonder if all his exes live in Texas, including the one he references here and in “Multiple Endings.”

Second repeat of the chorus in “Andromeda”, during the metaphorical takeoff

Overall, Calico is a very solid album. Featuring cinematic production from Gruska just on the cusp of experimental, this album allows Beatty to shine lyrically, with the picturesque scenes and imagery that he paints throughout.

Favorite songs: Andromeda, Multiple Endings, Little Faith, Cinnamon Bread