Millennial optimism, we missed you 🪡
There's something in the air this summer. Plus, a conversation with This Is Lorelei!
Dear reader/listener,
It’s been two months, please forgive me. Much has been percolating!
I write this from my New York apartment, a place where things feel possible right now. I promise I’m not trying to add more FOMO to your life, but the energy in this city is palpable. The Knicks did something that hadn’t been done in 53 years, and that has felt like a catalyst for more than just a trophy—it set the tone for an entire summer. There’s an optimism in the air that feels almost radical right now.
Okay, the music highlights. There have been so many!
Last Friday gave me my two summer personalities. Chanel Beads’ Your Day Will Come (the second one) is the kind of record that works for every situation—diffusing nerves in the Uber on the way to a date (tried & true), or feeling existential on the ride back. It’s woozy and slightly unhinged in the best way. Then there’s Ryan Beatty’s Sweet Fortune, which has me completely in my feels. It’s just overflowing with love, and vulnerable in a way that really sneaks up on you. “Delancey” is Pure poetry... It’s the kind of album I’m positive I’ll still be carrying with me into fall.
“Doing 90 in a 55 to another life.” Our Patron Saint of Millennial Sadness has returned in the form of a magical elven princess. Perhaps the most joyful we’ve heard Phoebs in a while, too. Welcome home, queen.
Three years ago I fell upon Mind Palace Music from the band @ (pronounced “at”) while in some sort of playlist rabbit hole. I was intrigued by the fact that I had no idea what I was actually listening to; they blended digital and analog elements with weird harmonies and acoustic guitar as a through line. There’s a familiarity that’s hard to place, but it’s playful, and hearing both singers stacked harmonies in unison on “Major Blue Empty” was an extremely satisfying entry point. Then I unexpectedly caught them live as openers, and it was one of the most memorable shows I’ve been to. Last week they dropped “Autosmile,” a nearly seven-minute love song that earns every second. Sometimes all you really need is a guitar.
It’s been intriguing seeing some folks attempting to categorize the current post-hyperpop wave with names like “feral pop” and “sleazepop.” A lot of this scene is indeed feral and sleazy, but these narrow classifications feel too constrictive for a space so expansive and new. It especially excludes the prominent EDM production of Frost Children, Brutalismus 3000, Ninajirachi and more. Successfully stamping the “genre” on this scene feels akin to trying to successfully catch fog in a fishing net. We did our darnedest to name our hyp3r.wav playlist as broadly as possible to reflect the broadness of the space. Stay tuned for potential playlist evolutions as this space evolves! Some of our recent hyp3r.wav obsessions are the brilliant Danish-Chinese artist Helena Gao, Ighlooghost and Daisy*’s collab project Cyst, and the French badass u.r.trax. Also, check our rad new hyp3r.wav playlist design :)
Speaking of spaces that feel necessary right now, our team has been swooning over the Daisy Chain Fields festival announcement, and our very own Sam shared this sentiment that encapsulates how it’s making us all feel!
Happy Summer <3
Sincerely,
Carla, Caleb, & team Lorem
Like everyone, we’re a little obsessed with Nate Amos right now. He’s been building the world of This Is Lorelei for years, but with his recent re-release of Box For Buddy, Box For Star, plus a busy run touring with Hayley Williams as one half of his other project, Water From Your Eyes. He’s become the pinnacle of “your favorite artist’s favorite artist,” and for good reason. His new single “Billy Came Back” is an absolute tune and we haven’t been able to turn it off. Keep reading to hear more about what he’s been up to.
The”‘Billy Came Back” video is very iconic. Tell us how it came about.
I like the idea of a video being a separate work than the song, my preference is to choose someone who’s previous work I like and then let them do their thing without putting myself in the way. The video is beautiful and it’s all because of the beautiful mind owned by Alan Rickman Official.
You’ve been making music for well over a decade now, but in the last handful of years things have really picked up. What is something that’s changed that you didn’t expect?
I never expected my music would be listened to by anyone beyond my friends and their friends. TIL expanding from a secret diary project into a full time job is not something that was on my bingo card. I feel very grateful to have encountered the people who encouraged me and allowed me to take it further.
What was it like collaborating with artists like Hayley Williams, Momma, Waxahatchee, SASAMI, and even comedian Tim Heidecker on this special release of Box for Buddy, Box For Star? How did some of these specific collabs come about?
It was incredibly trippy getting to work with so many artists I love for the Super Deluxe. Originally I just wanted to have alt versions of Dancing in the Club and Two Legs because I retroactively found that the way I treated my vocals in the two OG songs distracted people from the writing itself (it was all “autotune this, Elliott Smith that” - my fault). Once there was a demand for a physical copy of those original bonus tracks it made sense to fill up the space. I never would have guessed that such an amazing cast of people would end up involved - if you had shown me the list when I was writing the songs I probably would have freaked out and I’m not sure I would have been able to finish the album.
Your dad is a bluegrass musician and you grew up playing it. How much of that still lives in your music today?
My earliest memories are of bluegrass music (not just music memories but all memories). I think recently I’ve embraced certain elements of it more in my own work but asking me how much of it lives in my music is like asking how much water lives in my body.
Favorite artists in New York at the moment?
fantasy of a broken heart, thanks for coming, kolb
Does your work in Water From Your Eyes ever bleed into This Is Lorelei, or do they feel like completely separate headspaces when you’re in them?
These days WFYE and TIL are 100% discrete headspaces - years ago the line was far blurrier, mostly because TIL was for a long time meant to be a testing ground for things I would incorporate into other projects. Once WFYE had its full toolkit assembled TIL developed more of an identity and direction.
Best advice you’ve been given?
I don’t know who told me this and if it was in person or something I read, but the most important advice I’ve ever gotten is just to continually create and never get caught up on one thing so long that it keeps you from making other things. My takeaway was that the final 10% of the writing/production process is usually only noticeable to the artist, everything that people identify with is was comes naturally, the things you don’t notice because they are just a part of you. Don’t stress about getting things perfect, because nothing is perfect - just let your art be you.
Ten songs our indie editors have on repeat this month… Plus new music from Malcolm Todd, Beabadoobee, Pretty Sick, Slow Pulp, Jordan Patterson, miaw, Steve Lacy, Love Spells & more. :)
Forgiven!! (Such a great read, so much new music to look into!)
Love love loved!