Amy Millan’s long-awaited return—her first solo album in 15 years—exists thanks to a longtime fan turned trusted songwriting partner, Jay McCarrol. The two connected through Metric frontwoman Emily Haines, who encouraged Millan to call the composer. After sending McCarrol the first verse for what would become her song “Make way for waves,” she quickly fell in love with the cinematic canvas he laid out for her vulnerable lyrics. It wasn’t long before the making of I Went to Find You was underway. Millan’s partnership with McCarrol touched her deeply, reminding her of a musical relationship she used to share with her late father. That intense feeling renewed her urge to make music, and the resulting album is full of a tangible sentimentality. Here, Millan sounds more confident in her tender lyrical approach compared to her last work, Masters of the Burial, and McCarrol’s immersive soundscapes bring a palpable lushness that accentuates her expert storytelling.
The album is a soothing balm from the start. “Untethered” tells the tale of gradual acceptance—of becoming comfortable with the changing nature of friendships. The soft drive of drums and bass reflects life’s ever-forward motion, yet the rest of the soundscape pays tribute to not just melancholy and stillness, but what comes from the long-loved relationships we leave behind. It’s refreshing to have these kinds of relationships acknowledged in song, and the album’s lead single “Wire walks” is similarly satisfying. Another lush mid-tempo synth-pop track with Millan covering the theme of self-acceptance, her sweet falsetto tones bring a layer of wistfulness to the music, while a sweeping string section and muted trumpet fill out the sound with romantic colors. The soundscape and groovy drive help the song strike a satisfying balance.
Alternatively, “Borderline” is a song that buzzes in anticipation. From an echoing snare to the soaring synthesizer, the sweeping song builds throughout, eventually releasing when Millan sings of finally reaching her “borderline.” “All this blue to get to you,” she sings, finally coming out of that long sea of sadness after a breakup, getting through the “How?,” and breaking free into the “What’s next?” From her connective lyrics to the ever-evolving instrumentation, “Borderline” is a perfect reflection of a gradual shift in perspective that comes months following the dissolution of a relationship.
“Make way for waves” is what inaugurated the relationship between Amy Millan and Jay McCarrol. Once again, the instrumentals convey the emotional intensity of the lyrics. The song is rife with embellishments that keep its sound interesting while retaining its soft, pensive core. The surf rock guitar is a receding sonic wash, reflecting the departure of an old lover, while a driving synth becomes the determined narrator eager to win back the love. There are times when the songs begin to feel too polished. To really make them stick, Millan and McCarrol could have retained an emphasized sense of rawness—whether from acoustic instrumentation or being recorded on tape. Otherwise, this collection of lush, tender pop tracks achieves Millan’s mission: to make a real connection with fans through a peek inside her memories.
Amy Millan created I Went to Find You as an homage to the people in life that shape us, and the conglomerative “you” that emerges as we walk through life among others. “The ‘you’ of the title is the people I found, the people I went looking for after they’d gone- and the ‘you’ is the person you become when all these components align,” she explained in a press release. Her reflective storytelling matches effortlessly with Jay McCarrol’s cinematic production. This album is full of songs that balance minimalism and intrigue, yet “Don valley” is the sparsest track on the album, feeling more like a demo than a full-fledged song. Still, this atmospheric album ends justly with the ambient finale “lost river diamonds.” A warm wind dances alongside a luminous synth here, leaving listeners with a soft spot to land at the end of a strong work of synth-pop.
