Megan Moroney Wrote the Soundtrack to Aching, Yearning, and Healing with ‘Am I Okay?’: A Review

Megan Moroney is living up to her emo cowgirl moniker in some ways, but she answers the question posed by her new album in others—Am I Okay? The answer is, sometimes, yes. The sun is shining, birds are singing, everything’s coming up Milhouse. Sometimes, the answer is a resounding “No, but I’m getting there.”

Am I Okay? dropped on July 12, and if you live around Nashville you may have seen her marketing spraypainted on the sidewalks for the past few months—the title phrase inside of a blue heart, cleverly making tourists wonder if it’s a strange cry for help. However, the album itself is anything but a cry for help. Am I Okay? is what comes after.

Almost every song on the album is a stand-out track. The melodies are similar, and the songs fall into a typical pop-country-little bit of rock and roll sound, but it’s her songwriting combined with her vocals that make Moroney unique. She’s one-of-a-kind at the same time that she’s almost stereotypical, which is usually something that shouldn’t be possible. She may look like a pop-country princess at first glance. However, there’s a depth to Megan Moroney that deserves to be uncovered and understood.

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Take the title track, for example. “Am I Okay?” is a new kind of love song for a new generation of lovers. It’s a celebration of actual good guys after years of failed relationships with toxic men. This is a song for girls who have been hurt so many times they can’t even believe it when they’re being treated right. When they’re genuinely loved and appreciated in their relationship. “Am I okay?” they ask, because, before this, their normal was crying every day, questioning where their boyfriend was going, being mistreated and used. Now, they feel supported. They don’t have to question whether they’re really loved or not.

Not everything is sunshine and roses on the album, though. Occasionally, Moroney heads into the darker side of breakups, when things are not okay. “28th of June” is one of the most vulnerable tracks on the album, as it centers around having to experience old anniversaries. It used to be a day of celebration, but “Now it’s just another Tuesday,” she sings.

“Mama, I Lied” digs deep into another type of vulnerability—lying to your mom about your failing relationship. Moroney justifies lying to her mother because “I was afraid of what you’d say to do.” If you tell your mom about all the ways your partner is hurting you, of course she’s going to say “leave them.” Easier said than done. Moroney presents us with a woman terrified to tell the truth. Living with the lie is easier than breaking off an unhealthy relationship. “Mama, I Lied” is too specific to not have been inspired by Moroney’s real life.

Am I Okay? is Universal in Its Specificity

At the same time that Am I Okay? is a reckoning for toxic men and an exploration of both healthy and unhealthy relationships, it’s also a masterclass in nostalgia. “Noah” does this beautifully, another song seemingly taken straight from Megan Moroney’s diary. It’s a song about a high school relationship that didn’t work out, but Moroney still thinks of him every once in a while. “Sometimes when I lie next to him I wish it was you,” she sings, which will hit hard for every girl who has ever ached to return to the youthful innocence of a high school love. “Noah” is personal, and another hyper-specific song that becomes universal for its specificity.

Megan Moroney writes with a real-world perspective that is unique to young women—dealing with toxic men, a specific brand of dating woes, heartache, yearning, and longing. Girls yearn in ways that other people just don’t. Moroney wrote the soundtrack for the ache that comes with the spectrum of girlhood.

Moroney Proves She Has Real Depth on Sophomore Album

Am I Okay? isn’t all deep dives into a young woman’s psyche, though. There are fun songs on this album too. For example, “Man on the Moon,” which has an early 2000s vibe you’d hear on any Lizzie McGuire episode; “Indifferent,” an absolute pop-punk anthem with a country flair that sounds like Olivia Rodrigo for cowgirls; and “The Girls,” which is a sweet, fun, friendship anthem for the girlies.

Megan Moroney could have easily gotten fenced into a bubblegum country persona with high-pitched vocals and a girl next door personality. However, this album proves that she’s real, raw, and vulnerable. Her voice is lower and a little raspy, bringing texture and emotion to every track. She’s not the girl next door—she’s more like your weird neighbor’s older sister who writes sad songs by the pool.

Featured Image by CeCe Dawson