'Conversations With Myself About You' Review: Lovelytheband's new LP is a pick-me-up for the lonely heart
Lovelytheband is set to release their long-awaited studio album 'Conversations With Myself About You' just around the corner on August 28. For fans wanting an early sample of their sophomore album, the platinum-selling alternative pop trio have already released two of its singles 'Loneliness for Love', 'I Should be Happy' and 'idwgtyp', which is an acronym for the chorus line, “I don’t want to go to your party anymore.”
You can stream “idwgtyp,” here and watch the visualizer here.
The group, consisting of vocalist Mitchy Collins, guitarist Jordan Greenwald and drummer Sam Price, said of the album in a press statement, "Making 'Conversations With Myself About You' was some of the most memorable months for us as a band. We rented a house, locked ourselves in and started writing. It was truly wonderful being able to immerse ourselves into the creative process." Speaking of its theme, they explained, "The album touches on the insecurities of love and life and driving yourself crazy overthinking the most trivial things, adding, "We hope people love it as much as we do."
Dive right into the new record and you can instantly tell that Lovelytheband have pulled out all the stops. Playing through each of its 14 tracks and some line, some hook, groove or beat will have you gripped into believing they are worthy of individual attention as a chart-impacting hit. The album is infectious, crisp in recording, rich in perfectly meshed layers and a masterpiece of catchy music.
'Waste' kicks off with a misty synth, a 16-beat gallop on the drums and a gorgeous sax loop echoing the crooning of Collins's vocals. The aptly titled 'Drive' pairs well as the slower, sultry partner for 'Waste' as night's drive anthem. The flicker of the electric guitar and warm organ provide the instrumental melody between several tones of synth and we hear traces of late '80s, early '90s electropop.
The album also sidesteps between various genres and sounds enough to break monotony yet still remain inherently Lovelytheband for the group's hardcore fans. 'Buzzcut' gets a mild garage punk intro but saturates the dryness of the typical style with breezy vocals and thickened synth. “idwgtyp,” belts out as a resounding summer anthem with funky guitar riffing and a punchy drum beat. 'Love Somebody Else' adopts a touch of soulful R&B patterning before a booming indie rock chorus.
Sonically, 'Conversations With Myself About You' turns the shortcomings of a fragmented mind into a callout for something powerfully fun, passionate and self-respecting. Yet, lyrically, the LP doesn't disregard the deeper pains of a hurting soul.
The earlier released single 'I Should be Happy,” is a vulnerable ballad written by the frontman which chronicles his struggles with depression. The song arrived during Mental Health Awareness Month and serves the band's larger mission to normalize conversations around the disease. According to a statement, the song taps artist Maren Gainey to animate a visual story in rhythm with how the protagonist feels in the song. "Lacking color, cloudy in tone, and life in slow motion, the band’s creative and vulnerable storytelling approach is launched through a black and white animation, which ironically stars an unanimated, caricatured lead singer, Mitchy." Watch the animated video here.
As stated earlier, each track on 'Conversations With Myself About You' is a potential hit. The band's empathy for hurting or lonely listeners is felt, their passion is respectful and their energy is infectious and arresting. We highly recommend Lovelytheband's new LP 'Conversations With Myself About You'.
