REVIEW: Livingston’s Story Continues
REVIEW
REVIEW
☆ BY GIGI KANG ☆
Photo By Brian Ziff
LIVINGSTON IS AN ARTIST THAT EMPOWERS AND ACCEPTS—The 22-year-old singer, songwriter, and producer has cultivated an artistic space of honest storytelling that encourages listeners to embrace their own stories, both the positive and negative.
In 2024, Livingston released his album A Hometown Odyssey which included viral tracks like “Shadow” and “Last Man Standing.” Going on tour following the release, many listeners took to social media to share what Livingston’s immersive live shows meant for them. Supporters cried, celebrated, and felt understood by his vulnerability.
One year later, Livingston released the deluxe version of the album, A Hometown Odyssey (The Story Continues) on March 7. He says, “This album has brought us together across the world, and these songs are a deeper and bolder look into the emotions that pushed me to make the album back in high school. I hope whatever is meant to resonate with you reaches your heart.”
Disc 1 of the deluxe opens with “The Game” which is steered by Livingston’s fervent vocals accompanied by piano. It’s stripped back compared to his signature atmospheric production, which makes for a gentle start to the album. However, the lyrics are as potent as any Livingston song: “A new horizon, where has the time gone / I was a child till I found love and pain and bygones / Which side of history was I born to fight on? / The art of war is violent, will you be my hill to die on?”
The second track is “Nightlight” which is a nostalgic reflection on falling in love at a young age. Livingston shares, “I’ve been in love exactly one time, and it’s with the girl I’m still with. When you grow up with the same person, love changes, how you view the world changes, and how you view yourself changes.” Sonically, the song is eccentric with its use of bells and claps.
The album advances to songs like “Brainstorm” and “Glow” which are similarly bold in their sound with Livignston’s grand production that aims to create a world. When we previously spoke to him about “Gravedigger,” which is also on the album, he shared, “When I make productions in general, I think of it in environmental terms.” This makes for a riveting listening experience because he creates an entire world which, for some, might serve as escape and comfort.
“Gravedigger” is followed by a fan favorite, “Look Mom I Can Fly.” Like its inspiring theme of seizing the time you have, the song is sonically limitless. A children’s choir sings along with Livingston to lyrics like “Make me believe I’m gonna reach the clouds / ‘Cause I just wanna feel alive.” It’s a confident and communal end to Disc 1 of A Hometown Odyssey (The Story Continues).
On his social media, Livingston described the album as encouragement: “I made it to be your soundtrack. Go write your story.” Livingston is an artist who is clear on his intentions and the deluxe album proves this as it is another addition to his endless catalogue of hopeful alt-pop music that evokes the feeling that anything is possible for each listener.
