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Photo: Julian Burgeño

The Aces' I’ve Loved You For So Long is a nostalgia-riddled triumph of musical innovation, adorned with the catchiest of glittering, earworm hooks. The indie-pop group exists at the intersection of live band layers and synth intricacies, creating a sound that is uniquely their own. Made up of four best friends, The Aces are also veritable queer culture icons, providing breakup tracks and romantic backdrops for all types of WLW pining. 

The title track is bliss in every sense of the word, shimmering in both lyricism and sonic palette. Layers of reverb-laden guitars and a lively melodic motif create a glittering instrumental dreamscape. And in the lyrics, there’s no underlying bitterness or cynical punchline, it’s just ease. To me, “I’ve Loved You For So Long” could almost be the indie-pop epilogue to Taylor Swift’s “Fearless”—the sigh of relief after taking the dive and confessing how you feel. 

While “Always Get This Way” is a star single, the following track, “Girls Make Me Wanna Die,” is an absolute anthem, scream-singing straight from the broken hearts of every sapphic situationship. The Aces turn this aching into a danceable frustration, leaning into surf-rock guitar lines and a bouncy, determined melody. It’s the sonic embodiment of sending a girl Clairo’s “Bags” one night and walking silently past her in the grocery store the next —the exhaustion is reeling in every line. 

“Solo” is a production standout for the album. Intricate vocal processing becomes its own instrument in the scope of the arrangement, taking the place of guitar solos, showcasing The Aces’ innovative musical instincts. “Not the Same” is my personal favorite. The melodies are written with this gut-wrenching tendency to land on the most aching note, like a pressure point or grazing a bruise. The melody perfectly supports the lyrical tone; it’s mature and grounded as the decision to end the relationship is finalized, but the leftover pang of desperation is palpable in lines like, “So what do we do, ‘cause I don’t know how to stop loving you? / But we’ve tried, and we’re just not the same.”

One sec, making a mental note to put “Suburban Blues” on repeat next time I visit my hometown. The Aces bottle up small-town restlessness and mix it with indie rock angst, employing guitar riffs and fervent drums to express suburban claustrophobia better than words ever could. 

The second half of the album is hit after hit, with “Person” arriving as a hooky triumph, and “Miserable” shrouding an existential crisis in an indie-rock-meets-disco drum groove. “Attention” stands out as an uncommon breakup concept, where the focus is on the narrator’s shortcomings, erring on the side of pointed realism rather than self-deprecation. Finally, “Younger” rounds out the album on a nostalgic note, reminiscing but content in where it now exists. 

I've Loved You For So Long feels like a confident embrace of The Aces' sound. They've settled into their originality after years of letting their style blossom, and this album is the crystallization of that journey.

Listen to I've Loved You For So Long below: