‘Memoir of a Sparklemuffin’: Suki Waterhouse’s new spidery, intoxicating album

I remember when I first heard Suki Waterhouse’s electrifying voice. It was early 2022, and her hit song “Good Looking” was all over TikTok — I scrambled to add it to my most recent playlist.

Her stardom first came in the form of modeling and quickly turned into acting as well. Waterhouse acted as keyboardist Karen Sirko in Amazon Prime’s adaptation of “Daisy Jones & The Six.” She released her debut album “I Can’t Let Go” while filming the show, and in an interview with Insider, said “the role melded with her own desire to make music.”

In March of this year, she had her first child with husband and actor Robert Pattinson (Hi Edward Cullen!). However, that did not stop her from creating more music.

The 18-song track “Memoir of a Sparklemuffin” came out on Sept. 13. On “Sparklemuffin,” Waterhouse seems to discard the previous gloominess that was featured in “I Can’t Let Go” and her EPs, trading it with a new pop-punk persona. I was excited to see Waterhouse’s new style of music, as the sound of “I Can’t Let Go” was a bit too sluggish for me.

The opening track of “Sparklemuffin,” “Gateway Drug,” is haunting, with Waterhouse’s silky vocals echoing throughout reverberating drugs and a soft electric guitar. Almost retrospective to Lana Del Rey’s “Ultraviolence,” this song first stood out to me as the romantic, and almost obsessive, lyrics outline Waterhouse’s compulsion for love.

“Supersad” follows, detailing Waterhouse’s own struggles with depression, and her brushing off all the pain that came before her. This single gave me Maggie Rogers or Soccer Mommy vibes, with an upbeat pop rhythm underneath Waterhouse’s “don’t-care” attitude.

Next came my favorite from the album, another single, “Blackout Drunk.” This passionate, striking song recounts the experience of dealing with a drunken, messy boyfriend who “ruin[s] every night” that Waterhouse can’t seem to get away from. Contrasting a cheery tune with angry lyrics, Waterhouse created a song that I can’t stop streaming.

Another favorite of mine, “My Fun,” made me want to dance barefoot in the grass on a sunny day. Twangy, folksy and sweet, Waterhouse reflects on the joy she felt in the relationship, and the happiness she carried was clearly evident.

“God it feels good to have someone who loves me like I love my fun, whoo!” Waterhouse sings. It’s nice to see Waterhouse happy in a song for once, enjoying life.

“OMG” had a similar vibe, however it reviewed the toxicity of the romance detailed in the album. “My baby’s no good for me and nothing’s ever easy,” Waterhouse croons over loud drums, and an energetic, booming guitar.

Waterhouse also included slower, more acoustic songs such as “Faded” and “To Get You.” Both were dreamy, and “To Get You” reminded me of Mazzy Star’s early work; it painted an alluring picture of pining for a lover, and anything she would do to keep them in her life.

This strongly contrasts with the following song “Big Love.” While very simple, it creates a heart-wrenching rock beat where Waterhouse lets her hair down and her true emotions fly free.

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However, some songs fell flat for me. “Nonchalant” is too repetitive, “Lawsuit” is too forgettable, and “Legendary,” “Helpless,” and “Everybody Breaks Up Anyway” are still beautiful, but too slow for me.

“Sparklemuffin” is truly a memoir. The songs “Model, Actress, Whatever” and “Could’ve Been A Star” parallel Waterhouse’s insecurities within her career and achievements. Not only is “Sparklemuffin” a memoir of her career, but it’s also a memoir of her journey throughout life, heartbreak, jealousy and ultimately finding herself and true happiness.

“Sparklemuffin” ultimately ends with a bang. “To Love” is the perfect ending to this album, concluding with a theme of hope in Waterhouse’s love life, and reminding everyone how beautiful loving is.

I feel like I can’t fully review this album without talking about its title. A sparklemuffin is a poisonous species of peacock spider, only found in Australia. In an interview with the Associated Press, Waterhouse said she felt “somewhat akin to [it].” She explained that both she and the sparklemuffin are perceived as different from who they really are, which is a theme I saw excessively throughout the album.

Overall, while this album has its pitfalls, I believe it is a well-told representation of Waterhouse’s emotions and tells a compelling narrative about love. I liked the first half of the album a lot more than the second, as it seemed very unique to Waterhouse’s previous music. Ultimately, I can see myself listening to certain songs over and over again.

Rating: 8/10

postaltg@miamioh.edu