New music from Lydia Loveless

Lydia Loveless (photo by Megan Toenyes)

It never ceases to amaze me how solutions to life's little issues just present themselves. For example: I had no clue what to write about today, and was futzing around on Bandcamp, just killing time listening to Mikey Erg. I notice that Lydia Loveless did backing vocals on a song on his new EP. "Hey, I wonder what she's been up to?", I ask. Sure enough, Lydia has a record called "Daughter" coming out in September. Nice country!

This is Lydia's fifth full-length, and first since 2016's "Real" on Bloodshot Records. She's gone fully independent on "Daughter", and judging by the two preview cuts available on her Bandcamp, it might be her finest work yet. Her lyrics are cutting, her vocals melancholy. There's a world-weariness present here that reflects her recent divorce, the state of the nation, and the chaos of modern life. "Love Is Not Enough" is a mid-tempo jam that wouldn't be out of place on Top 40 radio in the early aughts. It leads off with a great set of lines: "Talk to me/Tell me how it feels to always see everything in a major key/When I’m drowning in ennui". "Wringer" sounds like post punk played by a bluegrass band. I'll be playing these a lot over the next month. The record also promises guest spots from Laura Jane Grace and Nora Barton. I can really relate to this theme of using failure or endings to reassess and reassert one's identity.

"Daughter" comes out September 25, and preorders are live on Loveless's Bandcamp page. "Daughter" is available as a download, CD, or two colors of vinyl. Folks who preorder the vinyl will also get a lyric sheet hand-typed by Lydia herself. Pretty cool!

Listen to the first two preview tracks below: