ALBUM REVIEW: FLETCHER - WOULD YOU STILL LOVE ME IF YOU REALLY KNEW ME? (18/07/25)

Would You Still Love Me If You Really Knew Me? - out now via Capitol Records - is FLETCHER’s most deeply personal and emotionally daring record to date. Throughout the 11‑song setlist, she enters a space of unfiltered vulnerability, positioning her past, present, and future selves in a dialogue, guiding listeners through her complexity with grace and honesty.

The album opens up with the piano-driven pop anthem ‘Party’, a track that unveils her desire for authenticity within this new era rather than emotional labour for her audience - “I’m sorry I can’t always be the time of your life”. Despite its euphoric lift, the song immediately asserts FLETCHER’s shift into a more reflective, grounded space, setting the tone for the rest of the record.

‘Hi, Everyone Leave Please’ is a standout highlight that tackles the emotional cost of public life, she exposes the paradox of fame and artistic insecurity in gut-punching detail, underlining the vulnerability behind fame. With lyrics like “I sold out Radio City / But I’m not on the radio,” it highlights the loneliness and scrutiny artists endure, even at the height of success. Sonically it opens with a gentle acoustic guitar before building momentum in classic FLETCHER style. Emotionally raw, it's a gut‑punch.

With ‘Boy’, the lead single and emotional core of the album. Here she reveals falling in love with a man, writing with fierce honesty: “I kissed a boy / And I know it’s not what you wanted to hear… And I’m scared to think of what you’ll think of me.” This record isn’t just love songs - this is a record about identity, self-acceptance, and the courage to evolve. The arrangements favour acoustic warmth, layered vocals, and emotional clarity - a marked shift from FLETCHER’s previous heartbreak‑anthem driven sound. This stripped-back sensibility allows FLETCHER’s vulnerable lyrics to resonate fully, presenting her voice in its rawest, most authentic texture.

‘Chaos’ is a quietly powerful and guitar-driven song that captures emotional dissonance: “There’s an earthquake in my mind / While the wildfires burn outside.” It reflects internal turmoil and distance between past and present selves. FLETCHER delivers the chorus with breathless speed and flawless pitch, closing with a final line ‘‘I'm tired of the chaos’’ that floats like a haunting, ethereal sigh.

‘D i s t a n c e’ captures the bittersweet beauty of loving someone from afar, where connection lingers even as emotional space grows wider. The production here, soft and understated - built on acoustic guitars and gentle drums - creates space for the lyrics to take centre stage, inviting listeners to fully absorb the emotional weight of the song.

‘Good Girl / Gone Girl’ dives into heartbreak and the emotional turmoil it leaves behind. The chorus relies on repetition to hook the listener, making it instantly memorable. With its raw energy, bold honesty and catchy sound, it stands out as the most quintessentially FLETCHER track on the album.

Uplifting and euphoric, ‘All of the Women’ encourages embracing every version of yourself. Driven by a catchy, upbeat rhythm, the track pulses with an energy that feels tailor-made for a live performance - it’s the kind of song that’s bound to light up a crowd.

The guitar-driven ‘Congratulations!’ tackles disenchantment in her career and identity. Lyrically it signals acceptance of change and emotional recalibration, with lines such as “Remember when it felt good raising hell?... Now I don’t have that fire”.

‘Would You Still Love Me?’, the album title track closes the album with layered vocals and a haunting spoken-word outro that turns the album’s titular question inward - is she capable of loving herself even if others can’t? That question - not just directed at others, but to herself - is both existential and emotional, anchoring the album from start to finish.

Would You Still Love Me If You Really Knew Me? is not just an album - it’s a declaration. It’s the sound of someone asking for forgiveness, understanding, and ultimately, permission to just be herself. It’s softer, braver, honest. In a landscape where pop often stays surface-level, FLETCHER dives deep - and comes out more vivid than ever.

Would You Still Love Me If You Really Knew Me? out now via Capitol Records.