Suki Waterhouse, an English actress, entrepreneur and model, released her gripping yet dreamy sophomore album “Memoir of a Sparklemuffin” last week. The album, named after a small and colorful species of spider, has quite the fitting title. Most tracks have an underlying cynical, spiteful and venom-like feel beneath the positive, bright and upbeat surface.

Waterhouse had an abundant team of writers, producers and instrumentalists to help her make this album, including Jonathan Rado, Brad Cook, Rick Nowels and Greg Gonzalez. Eli Hirsch, the executive producer, contributed guitar, bass, keyboards and percussion.

The opening track, “Gateway Drug,” is hazy, dream-like and dramatic and sets the tone for the album. The following, more rock-inspired song, “Supersad” contrasts this with a more fast-paced, 90s-esque tempo. “Supersad” is about reinvention and through the lyrics of the song, Waterhouse reminds herself that “there’s no point in being supersad.”

Another notable tune is “OMG,” which was released as a single back in January. While it begins with the same slow and dreamy quality most songs on the album do, it’s hard not to dance along. A similar track is “Nonchalant,” in which Waterhouse yearns, “Sometimes I’m so damn nonchalant / That I can’t get to what I want.” “Big Love” is exciting, fun and freeing. Its guitar strums and steady drums give it an electric energy — directly contrasting its raw and poetic lyrics.

While some songs are perfect for a party, others are slower-paced and vulnerable. One of these, “Faded,” is laced with beautiful violin and reminisces on the past with a former lover.

Similarly with melancholic undertones, “Everybody Breaks Up Anyway” is solemn and slow with its steady piano chords. The repetition of the title throughout makes this track depressing yet relatable for anyone going through a messy breakup. “To Get You” has similar qualities to “Everybody Breaks Up Anyway.” Both have an intimate tone that can be reminiscent of writing a diary entry.

There is no doubt the songs on this album blend seamlessly, and the vulnerability Waterhouse pours into each relatable and catchy song forges a connection with her listeners.

Waterhouse, who wrote the album while pregnant, has a constantly shifting identity. “Model, Actress, Whatever” reveals this, with soulful lyrics like “When it’s good all on the outside, part of the faking / You can’t write the ending, it’s Hollywood pages.”

“I mean, it’s always an incredibly vulnerable state to be in making a record,” Waterhouse told UPROXX. “Even the fact that I got to make another one. Or even that there was an anticipation and [I] have fans that wanted another one. That was a new thing I would never have known that when making the first one.”

This vulnerability poured into “Memoir of a Sparklemuffin” makes it undeniably magical. The album itself contains everything from slow ballads to edgy rock. Just like Waterhouse’s identity, the album is multifaceted. Throughout 18 songs, Waterhouse paints herself as lovesick, heartbroken, nostalgic and confident.

Rating: 4.5/5