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I KNOW I’M
FUNNY HAHA
Faye Webster
Written by Olivia J. Bennett
Edited by Isabella Trimboli
Published in print by The Big Issue AU
Issue #641 | 23 July 2021
Faye Webster perfects her brand of hopeless romanticism in I Know I'm Funny haha, a selection of indie-rock tracks that sulk more than they serenade. The bratty self-awareness of her lyricism provokes introspection, and offers an easy entry for listeners to indulge in their own feelings of loneliness. First released as a single in 2020, 'In a Good Way' is a helpless call of devotion that stands as the album's most evocative and crushing song. "I didn't know that I was capable of being happy right now/But you showed me how," she sings. "You make me want to cry/In a good way." The lengthy pedal-steel guitar outros offer moments of reprieve, but quickly become tiresome when paired with the repetitive crooning of tracks 'Kind Of’, 'Cheers' and 'Better Distractions'. Webster may have gone too far in proving her point - that the joke will forever be on her - but such is the danger of leaning too far into heartbreak.