LIV.E at Three Links

The Dallas-born artist (née Olivia Williams) is about to embark on her bravest venture. Her sophomore album, Girl in the Half Pearl, out Feb. 10, marks the beginning of a new era for her, marked by complete freedom. “Thematically, it’s about the rebirth of myself and allowing myself to be who I am,” Liv.e, 25, says. “It kind of deals with what comes with being in love, when you don’t really know what love is.” Liv.e handles the writing duties on each of the album’s 17 tracks, giving outsiders a glimpse of the turmoil she was going through. The specificity remains, but this time marked with the anguish that she felt fueled her creative process, tinging her lyrics with darkness and melancholy (“When I looked inside myself / I found there was no one to help,” she whispers on the opener “Gardetto”). Liv.e makes no qualms about how dark Girl in the Half Pearl can feel when you listen to it. The listener witnesses her honest ramblings on heartbreak, relationships, and how her conception of love has changed. But after taking time to grieve and process the events of the past year, she hesitates to refer to this as a breakup album. To her, it’s more like the first chapter of something new.

– rollingstone.com