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Photo by Zamar Velez

Melancholic Beach Town, the debut album from Pool Girl, feels like the memory of a dream: hazy, intimate and constantly shifting between what is remembered and what is happening in the present. Across its songs, the record builds a world of hometowns, self-discovery and quiet departures, creating an album that is grounded in its emotional landscape while shining through its sun-soaked musicality.

Pool Girl is the solo project of Allie Nixon, a California-born artist and producer whose sound grew out of a self-taught production practice during the 2020 lockdown. Raised in the beach town of Carpinteria, Nixon began playing piano and guitar young, absorbing the melodic instincts of her dad’s favorite retro bands before later finding inspiration in the adventurous textures of 2010s indie acts — both of which weaved their way into her own music. Written between California and France and co-produced entirely by Nixon, Melancholic Beach Town traces a period of personal transition while remaining deeply connected to the coastal town she grew up in. The album was preceded by three singles — “Call It What You Want,” “Crab” and “Frannie You’ll Be Alright!” — each offering a glimpse into the beach-dazed world Nixon built across her debut.

“Water” is the perfect entrance into that world. Wispy breaths fade in and out, giving the song the sensation of coming out of the ocean; as we emerge, the soundscape becomes clearer and more awake. That movement between dreamlike fog toward crisp, present clarity becomes one of the album’s central emotional threads.

On “Anecdote,” each sonic element flows into each other, not away. There’s complete harmony between the wavy synth that begins and ends the track, the organic drum fills poking in and out of the verses and the soft yet vibrant strum of electric guitar. Glittery electronic detailing sprinkles over moments throughout the song, adding to its shimmering quality. More than anything, “Anecdote” evokes a settling sense of safety when listening. It makes you remember your own personal anecdote in life — whether that’s a friend, a lover or a place you escape to.

The title track, “Melancholic Beach Town,” perfectly encapsulates the entire energy of the album, sonically, thematically and lyrically. At its heart is a bittersweet longing for your hometown and the memories contained within it, paired with the knowledge that you had to leave to truly pave the way for self-discovery. The beautiful part about this is that it could apply to different parts of your own life, the act of leaving something or someone in order to understand and find yourself. Floaty falsettos and sweet backing harmonies give the song the feeling of a distant love letter, while its boppy drum pad beat keeps it moving forward. 

The fading of a relationship lingers on “Something to Say” with its whispery vocals and soft energy. As the song continues to wade through, the synth, drums and vocal reverb swell into a brief release. Then everything floats back down to the softness that closes out the track. There’s a gentle acceptance that drips from the song: wanting the best for someone, but knowing you won’t be there to see it. There is a maturity to letting someone go, not simply for yourself, but for them too. Nixon portrays this maturity without losing the emotion behind outgrowing someone and the relationship.

“Nice to Know” brings the beach, coastal imagery fully into focus. Its tropical, island-like drum beat makes you feel as though you can feel the sand under your feet when you press play. Yet beneath that breezy exterior is a sense of quiet freedom — the kind of peaceful optimism that only comes from letting go and moving forward. Looking ahead to new experiences and relationships, while still releasing the past with love: “Are you the one that can make me fall again? / And it feels so nice to know / It’s okay to let it go.”

As the album closes with “Palm Trees (sleepless song),” the atmosphere strips things back into something more raw. Nixon’s lower, almost hazy vocal tone brings a gentle vulnerability to the track. It mirrors the self-questioning thoughts we have late at night, sleepily staring at the ceiling: “Am I someone to restrain / Or do I passively please.” The warmth of the acoustic guitar acts as a buoy, keeping us afloat against her dreamy singing. It feels like the final night before everything subtly changes, when that one small realization makes your head clear and the choice to let go becomes the only choice: “Daylight / Sleeping in / Finally I can dream again / And the water is clear / Yeah, it’s all getting clear.”

Those final lyrics peacefully bring Melancholic Beach Town full circle. The album begins submerged in the haziness of “Water,” where everything feels like a half-remembered dream, and ends with an eye-opening clarity. Melancholic Beach Town lives in that space between holding on and letting go. Its guitars shimmer, its synths ebb and flow and its vocals often feel as though they’re drifting just above the surface. Pool Girl has produced a debut album that’s not only layered in glowing sonic elements, but in the emotions that arise throughout the process of leaving, growing, remembering and moving forward.

Listen to Melancholic Beach Town below: