TRACK BY TRACK: Nessa Barrett's 'AFTERCARE DELUXE'

Rising alt-pop star Nessa Barrett recently released AFTERCARE DELUXE, an extended version of her 2024 hit album AFTERCARE. The album is focused on dance beats and dark pop. Barrett revealed at a meet and greet that the title was inspired by the combination of emotion and sensuality in relationships, which is a through line of the lyricism. So let's break the whole thing down track-by-track!

1. "AFTERCARE"

This dark, atmospheric opening track is a tone-setter for the rest of the album. Over the striking of church bells, you can hear Barrett whispering backwards.
 

Favorite Lyrics: “But will you stay when it ends? / Promise me that you’ll be there…”

2. "P*RNSTAR"

The 2025 hit single “P*RNSTAR”, with more than 47 million streams on Spotify, is a dark beat with hot and heavy lyrics aimed at her dance partner. Listening to the track transports us to a full club with flashing lights, like we can only see through laser beams.

Favorite Lyrics: “I wanna feel you put the work in / I wanna watch you entertain…”

3. "HEARTBEAT"

“Heartbeat” stays true to its title with a kick drum throughout that mimics a racing pulse and adds a rush to the otherwise slower ballad. The song brings a strength out of Barrett’s voice that we haven’t seen before that we're excited to see here.

Favorite Lyrics: “I can hear the angels on the other side / Baby, scream my name and bring me back to life…”

4. "DISCO" (feat. Tommy Genesis)

“DISCO” is strictly a song to move to, exemplified with the opening lyrics, “Let’s go dancing.” While "DISCO" evokes images of bright sparkling outfits and high spirits, Barrett contrasts this imagery with a dark and moody lyrics speaking on toxic relationships. The music video strikes an interesting balance between the atmosphere of the song and “traditional” disco vibes.

Favorite Lyrics: “And my blood boils hotter, I can feel you swim / In my veins like something’s forcin’ me to sin…”

5. "PASSENGER PRINCESS"

This pop single is a reflection on the total devotion you feel in new relationships. The tone and lyrics remind us of “Him & I” by G-Eazy and Halsey, but it’s a much more bubblegum-pop sound. Fun fact: the music video is "Love Island USA" star Rob Rausch’s acting credit!

Favorite Lyrics: “I’m your shotgun, baby, for the long run / Don’t you know I’d die for you?”

6. "MUSTANG BABY" (feat. Artemas)

Keeping up with the racing car theme, “MUSTANG BABY” is a flirty conversation between the two artists over a dark pop melody. This was the first song Nessa wrote for this album, and her friend Artemas got involved when she asked for his opinion.

Favorite Lyrics: “Kiss me doin’ ninety on the highway / You can make a good girl crazy…”

7. "RUSSIAN ROULETTE"

Barrett is familiar with exploring death in her music. A memorable example is “die first”, where she wishes to die before her lover in order not to live without them. In “RUSSIAN ROULETTE”, she reflects on how a toxic relationship might kill her, but she’d die happy because they got to be together. There is a cinematic vibe to the song, and even though there isn’t a music video, we feel like we can easily picture one.

Favorite Lyrics: “Finally, I’m not afraid to die / As long as you’re the last love of my life…”

8. "S.L.U.T."

This next track is much faster, back into the dance-pop zone. “S.L.U.T.” is an acronym for the lyrics “sex, lies, ugly truth”. Barrett is reflecting on a relationship where she’s so invested she would let people believe ugly things about her to maintain it.

Favorite Lyrics: “So pull my hair and call me names / I don’t care, I’m not ashamed…”

9. "BABYDOLL"

This heavy pop-rock mix, reminiscent of Barrett’s 2023 single “girl in new york”, is a plea not to be left behind. She refers to herself as her lover’s babydoll, and she’s desperate not to be discarded. She’s been broken by this person, but they’re all she has left.

Favorite Lyrics: “Haven’t seen the light of day / Collecting dust, what’s my name?”

10. "GIVEN ENOUGH"

This track starts out with a delicate piano riff which is filled out by a combination of electric guitar and violin. In an interview with Zach Sang, Barrett admits that this song is about the ending of a friendship and was heavily inspired by the Twilight franchise.

Favorite Lyrics: “Think my heart is yours to break / Tell me, how does my blood taste?”

11. "EDWARD SCISSORHANDS"

This pop ballad references the 1990 film Edward Scissorhands starring Johnny Depp, which is about a man who struggles with connection because his hands are blades. Barrett is likening her toxic partner to this character, absolving him of any wrongdoings because “it’s just how God made you.” She reflects on the physical and emotional distance that has formed, even though both parties want to be together.

 Favorite Lyrics: “And oh it breaks my heart / To leave you with your scars / Fixing you would just break me…”

12. "GLITTER AND VIOLENCE"

This moody pop-rock track takes a hard look at the sex work industry. The title speaks on the glitzy and glamorous façade that is put up to lure in young women while the job itself is dangerous and prone to victimization. It’s also a reflection on Barrett’s own youth, and her fear that getting older will make her less valuable.

Favorite Lyrics: “The American stage / For the lost and unholy…”

13. "PINS AND NEEDLES"

This dark pop song uses the feeling of pins and needles as a metaphor for being emotionally numb. Her lover has cut off their connection, so it’s making her numb to him. She can’t feel him anymore, so she doesn’t feel anything.

Favorite Lyrics: “You think you’re important, boy, I got bad news / You’re mean and you’re boring, they’ll all forget you…”

14. "STAY ALIVE"

This track has a dark dance club beat with a surprisingly vulnerable message. Barrett reflects on the culture of partying that she’s fallen into in an effort to curtail her suicidal thoughts. The song is really an anti-suicide anthem with a message about hope for her dreams coming true.

Favorite Lyrics: “The sh*t that I would die for / Is the sh*t that I’m alive for…”

15. "DIRTY LITTLE SECRET"

In the final single on the original album, the theme of toxic relationships is back, but this time Barrett is admitting to being the perpetrator. She’s singing to someone who is desperately in love with her, but she doesn’t want a relationship with them so she keeps their hookups a secret. We're completely obsessed with the synths on this track.

Favorite Lyrics: “But I know your intentions, yeah, you wish that I was yours / But that’s not what I call you for…”

16. "LOVE LOOKS PRETTY ON YOU"

The first track added for the deluxe album, this song is the closest to a true ballad on the record. The melody is a more hopeful version of the “childish” sound she uses in “BABYDOLL”. This song is a reflection on the first healthy relationship she’s had in a long time – maybe ever.

Favorite Lyrics: “Love looks pretty on you, looks pretty on me / If Heaven’s for lovers, that’s where we’ll be…”

17. "DOES GOD CRY?"

This dramatic, melancholic song is a reflection on Nessa’s fear of abandonment, as she explained in a message on her Discord server. During the same Q&A, she revealed that the song’s frequency is 555 Hz, which is known to rest your brain and destress you, so that fans could feel calm while listening.

Favorite Lyrics: “I keep my head in the clouds, I do / Baby, don’t go bringing me down so soon…”

18. "BLUE VALENTINE"

We’ve got another film reference with this track, which shares its title with the 2010 romantic drama Blue Valentine starring Michelle Williams and Ryan Gosling. This song is an accusation that her Valentine doesn’t really love her, making her “blue all the time”. The vocals on the chorus go lower than we typically hear from Barrett, making the song more pop-emo.

Favorite Lyrics: “Do you really love me / Or just love to make me cry?”

19. "KEEP YOUR EYES ON ME BOY"

Barrett said on Discord that this song was written from the perspective of a housewife who can feel her husband losing interest in her. It was inspired by Nessa’s favorite movie, Death Becomes Her. The rock ballad feels desperate and lonely, really evoking the imagery Barrett had in mind.

Favorite Lyrics: “I love you and you love vanity…"

20. "AMERICAN BEAUTY"

With a sound reminiscent of “DISCO”, Barrett reflects on her feelings about the entertainment industry. She deals with the inner conflict between feeling indebted to the people who gave her her success and feeling used by the system, dolled up, and ogled at. She both fights and embraces the audience she’s talking to.

Favorite Lyrics: “You’re sick and obsessed, you’ll love me to death…”

21. "BREAKFAST IN BED"

With a sound that calls back to “LOVE LOOKS PRETTY ON YOU”, Barrett is reflecting on the dissolving of a healthy relationship. She feels like she can’t move on, can’t even get out of bed, after her love left her. It’s a melancholic ending to a dramatic album of heartbreak, love, and heartbreak again.

Favorite Lyrics: “I didn’t lie, I didn’t cheat or kill / So why is this my death row meal?”