What was the process like for creating Box for Buddy, Box for Star compared to your previous releases?
Box for Buddy, Box for Star was a much more focused process. I knew I wanted to make an album that was more straightforward, more traditional in terms of singer-songwriter tropes. I wanted to lean into that style and see what I could do with it. So, I started writing the songs with that in mind, and the album really came together quickly in the summer of 2022. I was working on it every day, just really diving deep into the songwriting and production process. It was a really fun and rewarding experience to see it all come together.
How do you balance the humor and playfulness in your music with the emotional depth and sincerity?
For me, humor and playfulness are just as important as emotional depth and sincerity in my music. I think they can coexist and even enhance each other. I like to inject humor into my lyrics and my vocal delivery because I think it adds another layer of complexity and interest to the songs. It allows me to explore different perspectives and emotions in a more nuanced way. And at the end of the day, I want my music to be enjoyable and engaging for listeners, so incorporating humor and playfulness is a way to achieve that.
What do you hope listeners take away from Box for Buddy, Box for Star?
I hope that listeners connect with the songs on a personal level and find something meaningful in them. I hope that the music resonates with them and brings them joy, comfort, or inspiration. I also hope that they appreciate the craftsmanship and care that went into creating the album. Ultimately, I just want people to enjoy the music and have a good time listening to it.
What’s next for This Is Lorelei and your other projects?
Right now, I’m focusing on promoting Box for Buddy, Box for Star and continuing to work on new music for Water from Your Eyes. I have a lot of ideas and inspiration flowing, so I’m excited to see where that takes me. I’m also open to exploring new creative avenues and collaborations in the future. Overall, I just want to keep making music that excites me and hopefully resonates with others.
Thank you to Nate Amos for taking the time to chat with us about This Is Lorelei and Box for Buddy, Box for Star. Be sure to check out the album and follow This Is Lorelei on social media to stay updated on future releases and projects.
But after those first couple of songs, I realized that I was actually able to write without the influence of substances. And once I started to see the themes and patterns emerging in the songs I was writing, I knew that this project was turning into something bigger than just an experiment. It was becoming a reflection of my own experiences and emotions during that time, and it felt like I was tapping into something deeper and more personal than I had before.
So, in a way, the decision to make this album without getting high was a catalyst for this deeper exploration of myself and my music. It allowed me to approach songwriting in a different way and to find humor and honesty in my reflections on my own life. And ultimately, it led to the creation of Box for Buddy, Box for Star, which I see now as a culmination of that period of introspection and creativity. It’s more like a feeling that I had at the time, and I think because it was so immediate, it was easier to capture that feeling and put it into words. The melody came quickly too, and it just felt right. I think that’s why it stayed the way it was, because it felt like it was meant to be that way. It’s funny how some songs come together effortlessly like that, while others take more time and effort to get right. But I’m grateful for those moments when a song just falls into place, because those are the moments that remind me why I love making music in the first place.” Instead, I just focused on getting my thoughts and feelings out through the music, and that felt like the most important thing at the time. It was a very personal and introspective process for me, and I needed that space to work through everything that was going on in my head. So, in a way, the album became a kind of therapy for me, a way to process and express all the emotions and experiences that I had been going through. It was a cathartic and healing experience, and I think that comes through in the music. And ultimately, I’m really proud of what I was able to create during that time, even if it was a challenging and intense process. “Si no era por nada más, la razón fundamental era que simplemente no quería estar cerca de nadie.
Hay una línea que me llamó la atención de ‘My Boy Limbo’, “I carried past instead of tending to the presence in my hand,” que siento que captura la tensión entre el pasado y el presente que se desarrolla a lo largo del álbum.
Esa línea puede interpretarse de varias maneras. Tienes la cuestión del pasado-presente, estar demasiado atrapado en otro momento para concentrarte en un momento particular. O puedes pensar en ello como regalos, en cuyo caso de repente estás pasando por alguien que intenta darte algo y ser parte de tu vida. Para mí significaba varias cosas, pero también se trataba simplemente de jugar con las palabras, jugar con la idea de lo que puede significar la presencia en esa situación, si el pasado se refiere al tiempo pasado o si estás pasando por algo, ignorando las implicaciones físicas y emocionales de tener algo en tus manos; cuidarlo, atenderlo. No había pensado en esa línea en un tiempo – esa canción se escribió un poco sola, así que es un poco más desordenada y menos coherente que otras. No fue tanto un concepto, más bien como un tren de pensamiento que podrías tener mientras intentas dormir o algo así.
Volviendo a lo que empezamos a hablar, ¿te parece abrumador tener espacio para diferentes salidas creativas, en términos de la energía que requiere?
No diría que es aterrador. A veces la presión puede ser abrumadora, pero la mayor parte del tiempo, es energizante porque en última instancia, tengo dos cosas diferentes que estoy tratando de hacer al mismo tiempo, y son cosas que realmente me gustan y quiero estar haciendo. Supongo que ahora que los proyectos se han convertido en algo que estoy tomando más en serio y que más gente está escuchando, siento que todo tiene un poco más de propósito ahora. Durante años y años, la música era solo un escape; no sentía que realmente estaba contribuyendo a nada, solo quería pasar mi tiempo haciendo algo que quería hacer en lugar de intentar encajar en un mundo en el que no tenía mucho interés. Definitivamente puede ser mucho de manejar, pero es lo que quiero hacer, y nunca anticipé que hacer lo que quería hacer se intersectaría con mi realidad más allá de mi espacio interior – mi cabeza, mi habitación, lo que sea.
La parte más extraña es que la gente realmente – no una cantidad insana de gente, pero hay personas que ahora escuchan las cosas que hago. Siempre las hubo, pero ese número ha crecido lentamente de como 5 personas a lo que sea ahora. Esa es la parte espeluznante. Usar los dos sombreros diferentes – puedo hacer eso, es como jugar al fútbol un día y al baloncesto al siguiente. Son ambos deportes, solo formatos ligeramente diferentes. Tengo que hacer acrobacias mentales para relajarme lo suficiente como para escribir, porque si me siento a escribir una canción, pienso en tener que escribir una canción que les guste a los fanáticos y a los periodistas musicales, y luego simplemente me asusto y veo Survivor en su lugar. Tengo que convencerme de que realmente no importa en absoluto. Si miro la música que he hecho y que me gusta, el patrón recurrente es que cuando se estaba haciendo, no tenía ni idea de si saldría o no. El mundo exterior no era algo que se considerara en lo más mínimo.
Esta entrevista ha sido editada y condensada para mayor claridad y longitud.
This Is Lorelei’s Box for Buddy, Box for Star ya está disponible a través de Double Double Whammy.