I am what I am, underneath my skin
Pink and full of choice, opinions are my voice
I write off everything, my thoughts are barely fed
Draped across my head are words of ignorance
Today, Los Angeles rock outfit Liily unveils their self-titled EP, along with the music video for their latest track, Swallow. If you’re a fan of psych rock bands like The Dandy Warhols, Madchester like Oasis and The Stone Roses, or the later works of The Horrors, you’ll find their new single quite the stellar earworm.
Swallow stands as an anthem for self-possession, with a dash of rebellion. The lyrics dive into the murky waters of identity and conformity, pondering how we shape ourselves through choices and opinions. It wittily critiques the omnipresent influence of media, nudging listeners to gulp down everything that’s fed to them. The refrain humorously underscores the societal pressure to conform. The speaker, yearning for freedom from this farce, seeks genuine experiences and autonomy, all while grappling with the relentless impact of television and movie screens.
“It feels like we have agency over everything we do now, we don’t have to answer to anyone,” they say. “We’ve spent a lot of time sitting on unreleased music that we can now put out into the world whenever we want. Our independence has allowed for us to actually take the time to rebuild the identity of the band from every angle. What you see from us is only us!”
Swallow was made in the band’s old rehearsal space, so they centered the production around the live element and made production a big production effort undergoing multiple iterations, after bringing in friends Austin Corona and Wyatt Bernard, as well as producers Ryan Potesta and Carlos De La Garza.
“Our whole ethos is to get the recorded music as close to the live shows as possible,” adds the band. “We have to give a lot of the credit to our tour manager and our agent for really encouraging us to release (the EP). We’re just grateful to have a lot of people working on/for the project who truly believe in it. We’re doing things on our own and for ourselves now, receiving no more help from people that are not a part of our community.”
The video is a fun DIY snapshot of the band’s camaraderie in their live shows, giving them a glimpse of tour hijinks and majestic scenery along the way. (We also love the Noel Gallagher fashion homage!)
Watch the video for “Swallow” below:
The EP took shape into the group’s most inspired work to date. It is Liily’s first release without a label or management, and was almost entirely born out of drummer Maxx Morando’s Airstream trailer in the San Fernando valley, where they made music with their friends.
“We’re all pretty young so personally we’ve all grown so much as people in that time,” says the band. “A lot of the writing of TV or Not TV came from a place of anxiety due to the idea that our first EP wasn’t cool enough. We don’t subscribe to that stuff anymore, we prefer to relinquish any ideas of comparison when it comes to the art itself. Not to say that we don’t love TV and its songs, but we just feel that music shouldn’t be bred from optics.”
Lily’s self-titled EP is out on June 14th. Pre-Save Here
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