#selfhood

#selfhood

The title of Brandi Carlile's latest record, , makes an encouraging first impression. What could possibly be bad about reclaiming selfhood? Isn't that a pop psychology milestone people make guest appearances on daytime talk shows to humble brag about? But Returning to Myself considers the implicit woe of its own declaration: in order to return to oneself, one must first be lost. It's a common existential crisis that worsens when pop culture primes audiences for inspiration instead of reality checks.