From the opening bars of Say What You Mean, Allison Weiss, a young Brookyln transplant, asserts herself as a powerful force with her sweet voice, energetic guitar riffs, and clever and honest lyrics. Bringing together the edge of The Strokes and uniquely perceptive lyrics about young romance that give Tegan and Sara a run for their money, Weiss’s second full-length album stands out amongst other indie-pop/rock records by eschewing the requisite apathy and bath of reverb in favor for killer pop songs in the truest sense of the phrase. The album perfectly encapsulates the ups and downs of what it’s like to be a twenty-something figuring out your place in life and love.

This is certainly not a very novel concept for a record, but it’s an honest one, and crafted with a careful and caring hand like Weiss’s, it never gets old. Classic albums like The Beach Boys’ Pet Sounds or a contemporary take like Taylor Swift’s Fearless have tackled this coming of age narrative with unbeatable precision and Weiss’s contribution to the genre does not leave much to be desired. Whether it’s the frustration and confusion on opening track, “Making It Up”, or the cautious monologue of the title track, Weiss writes her lyrics with life and personality and her music matches the intensity of the emotions presented. Album highlight “Wait For Me” details a more complicated narrative similar to the Punch Brothers’ “Don’t Get Married Without Me”. The narrator is leaving her significant other, and is optimistic about the world in front of her, but she concedes in the hook, saying “But I’ll wait if you’ll wait for me”. It’s an extremely poignant and powerful bit of emotion supported by a lush and beautiful string arrangement over a chugging folk acoustic guitar.

Weiss closes her album with the ballad “I’ll Be Okay”. Her character is alone, but optimistic, seeing her loneliness as an opportunity to better herself and her position. She has finally reached rock bottom, but is now able to look up to a brighter future. Ending with this song gives the album an interesting feeling, as if we’re watching the end of the second act of a play or film. Normally, we’d get to see the character climb back to the top and get a happy ending in the final act, but here, we’re left to imagine what’s in store for Weiss in the future.

Say What You Mean will be released on CD, LP, and Digital via No Sleep Records on April 16th