Kate Eberstadt’s ‘heaven on earth’ is heartbreak in album form

Kate Eberstadt’s newest album, “heaven on earth,” doubles as her debut, and was recently released

BY MARRI SHAEFFER ‘29

STAFF WRITER

If you watched Timothée Chalamet in “Call Me By Your Name” and were instantly taken aback by his outstanding performance, you’ll likely find yourself equally obsessed with Kate Eberstadt’s debut album, “heaven on earth.”

The first track on the album is “timmy chalamet,” a song in which Eberstadt uses Chalamet’s name to reminisce about her life pre-breakup with a long term partner. The music video for this song is a love letter to the movie as well, featuring Eberstadt in the iconic striped shirts worn by Chalamet throughout it, and a nostalgic atmosphere primarily invoked by the use of film to shoot the entirety of the music video.

While this song is instantly intriguing due to the standout nature of its title and subject matter, it’s simply one part of the wonderful whole that is Kate Eberstadt’s “heaven on earth.” This album, released on Nov. 11, blends club music with indie pop, and is absolutely soaked in emotion. If you’re looking for a new artist to yearn to this dark winter season, Kate Eberdstadt very well might be it.

“heaven on earth” is a complete standout in its genre, and the intersection of classical instrumentation — such as strings and piano — with electronic sound effects instantly causes it to be an album I want to have on repeat. Eberstadt’s voice is a standout as well, with deep, sultry tones that invite the listener in. 

While this is Eberstadt’s solo debut album, it is not her first contribution to the music scene. After graduating from Columbia University, Eberstadt, along with her sister, taught music to refugees in Berlin. Following that, they debuted as a duo under the name DELUNE, in 2018. In addition to her music career, Eberstadt is also a theatrical composer, and currently has residency as an artist at New York City’s Ars Nova.

It’s clear that Eberstadt has put a piece of her own soul into this album. Each song tells a story, whether it’s the club nights of  “candy” or the desire to escape that’s explained throughout “rv.” She appeals to pop culture reference-obsessed college students with “tarantino angel,” “that vampire weekend song,” and of course, “timmy chalamet,” and yet somehow bypasses the cringe typically associated with reference-laced songs in favor of deeply touching lyrics.

When I first listened to “candy,” I could instantly tell the world that Eberstadt wanted to bring me into. The instrumentals of the song are a blend of pure club music with a fast pulse, and slower, more intimate moments, which make me feel like I’m the mirror Eberstadt is singing into when she states that there is “another face in the mirror,” and she doesn’t “know her anymore.” 

When the pulse speeds up, Eberstadt’s voice fades as if I’m right next to her at the club, and the music is too loud to hear her anymore. While it’s upbeat and could easily be played at a party, the lyrics are heartwrenching, painting a direct narrative of the feeling of losing your identity in favor of being a more entertaining version of yourself.

I didn’t originally expect to be able to find a piece of myself in this album. However, “rv” explains the exact sense of longing that I felt when I was deciding to move almost 2,000 miles away from my hometown. I too had that “little daydream” of having my “bags packed for a long long trip.” 

Eberstadt is singing of her own experience of wanting to escape with her partner, and fears that they might leave her and she would have to “start over” without them. While I can’t relate to that part exactly, something about the smooth combination of Eberstadt’s voice and the voice of her producer, Jake Crocker, makes me feel as if I absolutely could. 

The throughline of every song on this album is that Eberstadt not only tells a story, but gives the listener a place in it too. Her lyrics and unique use of instrumentals make it extremely easy to close your eyes and imagine yourself in her place. I suggest finding yourself the most Pinterest-esque location on campus, such as a chair near a window in the Reading Room, or a study room when it’s dark and drizzly outside, and letting yourself completely immerse in the absolutely stunning narrative that is Kate Eberstadt’s “heaven on earth.”

Angelina Godinez ’28 contributed fact-checking. 

'Iris' by Mount Holyoke professor staged in Springfield

Photo by Quill Nishi-Leonard ‘27

Rooke Theatre is home to the theater portion of Mount Holyoke College’s film media theater department; it is located on the southern end of campus by Gorse Parking Lot, Creighton Hall, and Buckland Hall.

BY GENEVIEVE ZAHNER ‘26

NEWS EDITOR

Visiting Assistant Professor in Film Media Theater Olivia Finch recently had the opportunity to present her play, “Iris,” in a staged reading at the Majestic Theatre in West Springfield. “Iris” follows a couple, Harper and Iris, through their grief following a miscarriage. Different characters — including Iris’ mother and an unnamed child — flitter in and out, representing different experiences and moments in the couple’s journey. The realistic and emotional tone draws the audience into the moment with the characters, allowing them to feel the grief as if it were their own.

Finch told Mount Holyoke News in an email, “I wrote Iris because I'd never seen a play in which a miscarriage was the narrative's entire focus … But a single pregnancy loss can be a life-altering experience.” She said that the “cycle of creation and transformation” that happens during a pregnancy loss was “rich and compelling” material for a play. 

Finch also noted that she wrote “Iris” because it was a play that she wished she had seen in her own experience of loss. “That's normally how my process begins. I write the thing that I haven't yet seen but feel like I need,” said Finch. Finch wrote how it can be healing to see a representation of one’s own experiences, and that “the theatre is a unique place of collective witness,” which is one of her favorite qualities about playwriting. 

“Iris was a commission that was part of a fellowship that I did after my MFA in Iowa. I got to spend a year writing and developing it through the University of Iowa and the Dee Silver new play commission,” Finch said. This is the third staged reading but the ninth draft of “Iris.” “It can be challenging to feel like you're still "discovering" two years after starting writing, but I've learned to trust the process as much as possible.”

Additionally, Finch loves the collectivism of the theatre and working on pieces for an audience; being in rehearsal is her favorite part of the process. “I love how much actors and a director bring to a piece, that they bring it to life. I always feel so grateful that something I wrote alone at a desk allows a bunch of people to come together and make something.” 

For Finch, the most rewarding part is sharing the play with others, in collaboration with actors and directors, as well as audiences: “To hear how the piece resonates with other people and how it touches them is really rewarding.” 

At the performance on Nov. 17, the audience reacted viscerally, with some members wiping away tears, or murmuring in agreement during key moments. The play took place in the rehearsal space for the Majestic Theatre, with rows of chairs set up black box-style and actors carrying stands around the minimal set and stage space. While at times the silence was palpable, occasional tension was broken with light laughter, and people seemed to really appreciate the intense attention to detail of the nuances of this play.

Angelina Godinez ’28 contributed fact-checking.