Suki Waterhouse - I Can’t Let Go (LP)

Suki Waterhouse’s debut album, I Can’t Let Go, arrived on May 6, 2022 via Sub Pop, and it’s a quietly addictive record that earns your trust track by track. Produced by Brad Cook, whose ear for warm, lived-in textures has anchored some of the most inviting indie records of the last decade, the album leans into a dusky, late-night mood that suits Waterhouse’s voice. She sings with a soft rasp that never feels labored, just close and confessional, like she’s telling you something she might not say twice.

The opening stretch sets the tone. “Moves” is lit by patient drums and a chiming guitar figure that lets the melody unspool at its own pace. It’s not trying to bowl you over. It lets you come to it. “Devil I Know” tightens the screws. The production stays spare, but there’s a tug-of-war in the lyric that lands with a sting, and the chorus catches in your head without any cheap tricks. By the time “Melrose Meltdown” rolls in, the world of the album feels mapped out: West Coast haze, heart-on-sleeve storytelling, a touch of 70s soft-rock romance smudged at the edges. You can hear the care in the arrangements, the way a Wurlitzer sigh or a reverb-dappled guitar line steps in at just the right moment and then steps back.

Waterhouse had already built a following off earlier singles, and a separate track of hers caught fire online around the time the album dropped, which brought a wave of curious listeners her way. I Can’t Let Go meets that curiosity with craft. You can tell how much time she and Cook spent getting the tones right, the way the drums feel like they’re in the room with you, and the vocals sit forward without losing their intimacy. It’s the kind of record where a lyric about a cracked relationship can land just as hard as a hook, because the production makes space for both.

“Put Me Through It” is a late highlight. The tempo strolls, the guitars stay tasteful, and Waterhouse leans into a rueful delivery that hints at resilience rather than wallow. There’s a through line in the writing that keeps circling back to what happens after the crash, when you decide to keep going. That sense of aftermath gives the album its backbone. Even when she gestures toward the cinematic, she resists the temptation to over-sing or add unnecessary gloss. The restraint is part of the pleasure.

Because this record came out on Sub Pop, there’s also the simple vinyl appeal. The I Can’t Let Go vinyl pressing suits the music: warm, dynamic, and an easy recommendation if you like your indie pop with space to breathe. If you’re crate digging and see Suki Waterhouse vinyl in the new arrivals bin, the album rewards a front-to-back spin on a rainy afternoon. For anyone looking to buy Suki Waterhouse records online, this one sits nicely alongside her later releases, and it fits well next to other Sub Pop titles if you’re building that corner of a collection. Fans who are browsing for Suki Waterhouse albums on vinyl will find that this debut in particular captures the moment she moved from promising singles into a coherent statement.

A quick note on context, since it often colors how a debut lands. Waterhouse had a busy run after this album, including a high-profile acting turn the following year, which meant a broader audience circled back to these songs. The attention makes sense. There’s a quiet confidence to the writing that feels earned rather than posed. The best cuts don’t announce themselves with volume, they sneak up while you’re washing dishes or walking home late. That’s usually the sign an album will stick.

If you care about the tactile side of listening, this is exactly the kind of record that benefits from the ritual: drop the needle, let the room settle, and live inside the small details. It’s an easy staff-pick recommendation whether you’re shopping a Melbourne record store on a weekend trip or flipping through pages of vinyl records Australia sites at midnight. And even if you stream first, keep an eye out for the I Can’t Let Go vinyl when it crosses your path. It’s a keeper, and it points toward a songwriter who found her lane early and knows how to make you lean in.