Offering up more of her perceptive, increasingly world-wise songs, Responsible Friend is Elizabeth Ziman’s sixth Elizabeth & the Catapult album and first since the COVID-concerned sincerely, e. A little more playful but no less profound, it finds her grappling with relationships, work, and, more generally, human stewardship amidst the existential threat of things like worsening socio-politics and climate change. Ziman produced much of the album herself, but longtime collaborator Dan Molad (Lucius) produced four tracks and mixed most of the songs, and Jon Titterington (Father John Misty) lent a hand on a couple tracks.
Responsible Friend opens with the earnest “I Love You Still,” a song whose tender, supportive sentiments are underscored by…