The original Stage Girl centers Eli’s pre-transition life, framing the story as a rise and fall of a Northeast doll. Songs capture the pain of living closeted, including longing for a woman who loves another man and intimate, body-focused lyrics that can unsettle uninformed listeners. Despite glittery production, the emotional core remains clear. The deluxe edition largely keeps the silliness and musical quality but disrupts sequencing, adding tracks that weaken the tight narrative flow. New songs like “Feel Your Rain” and “Nobody’s Girl” expand Eli’s sound into broad, goopy ballads delivered with urgency and intensity. The songwriting is airtight, with sharp, playful lines that sometimes approach “what were they thinking” brilliance.
"These are airtight pop songs, but with a foundation this strong, Eli could afford to be a little weirder and riskier. The biggest hits from the '00s often have a "what were they thinking" quality to them (for proof, listen to the instrumental for "Single Ladies" without Beyonce's vocals). Lyrically, Eli sometimes comes close to that level of this-shouldn't-work-but-does, nailing lines like, "You should be his baby, not his babysitter" and, "For a man that's such a child/You don't know how to play with dolls.""
Read at Pitchfork
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