Lala Lala’s DIY mixture of indie, grunge and punk evolved from Chicago-based Lillie West’s need for an outlet for things she couldn’t process and express otherwise. Therefore, their debut album Sleepyhead, which was released in 2016, is rather melancholic. But, as the band name suggests, its honesty and simplicity make it extremely catchy as well and you can’t resist singing along. Ahead of the release of their second album The Lamb on September 28, we asked West about the band’s development so far and here’s what she told us about…
Names
While the band name was basically West’s ‘mum’s idea’, the name of Lala Lala’s sophomore record is well thought out and meaningful. While lambs usually symbolize being newborn or sacrifice and slaughter, West’s focus clearly lies on the first connotation: ‘It’s called The Lamb because I was and am a baby sheep learning how to walk and live and communicate for the first time.’
This might sound unusual because West is not a total rookie but there’s an explanation, namely…
Changes
West sees The Lamb as a debut album because it was made ‘on purpose’. She doesn’t remember much about making her first album because everything in her life then ‘was about getting high or wasted’. She has become sober since and some of the new songs document that process, e. g. ‘You think I’m good, well, I want to be gooder’ on the previously released single Water Over Sex. And the mood has changed:
The first album has a lot more darkness than the new one. Parts of ‘The Lamb’ I would describe as hopeful, and I don’t think ‘Sleepyhead’ has much hope in it at all.
Though some songs on The Lamb definitely have a more optimistic sound than the band’s earlier work, the general mood is still rather gloomy, so we wanted to know what it’s like to write…
‘The Lamb’ Artwork
Personal lyrics
A lot of West’s lyrics come from personal and often rather negative experiences and she is inspired by bad times: ‘The Lamb was written during a time of intense paranoia after a home invasion, deaths of loved ones and general violence around me and my friends’. However, she doesn’t consider herself particularly courageous: ‘I don’t think what I’m doing is brave by any means. Maybe other people don’t say the stuff because they’re less foolish than me.’ And she hasn’t experienced any weird situations because of being so open about herself yet: ‘I think being honest and explicit makes everything simpler for everyone.’
This applies not just to Lillie West’s music but to her whole (public) demeanour, whether it’s on social media or in interviews. That’s refreshing and, unfortunately, rare. So, get ready for September 28 when The Lamb gets released via Hardly Art.