Lala Lala – The Lamb

On The Lamb, the second album by Lala Lala and their first for Hardly Art, the party’s over. It’s a beautiful record about being young and confused, while also smart enough to know that alcohol and sex might not always be the healthiest choices. Lead songwriter Lillie West has a knack for capturing the terrifying, liberating moment of realisation that protecting yourself and your loved ones should be more of a priority.

Thematically and musically there’s even more to dig into here than on 2016's self-released debut Sleepyhead. They expand from the relatively straightforward three-piece grunge of catchy songs like Fuck With Your Friends to tracks like Dove, which features West’s most soaring vocal performance to date. The moody See You at Home even includes a well-placed saxophone solo.

There are also big choruses, most notably the one which is repeated throughout I Get Cut: 'I get cut with every touch / You come by and soak it up.' The Lamb has dark moments, but West grounds them in a loose narrative about someone slowly learning how to make better decisions for the sake of themselves and those they care about. She makes the repetition of 'Keep my friends safe / Now and always' sound life-affirming.

The Lamb is so special partly because it’s the work of someone striving to fix their problems rather than wallow in them. Drinking more water, kicking bad habits and focusing on positive relationships are things which can be easier said than done, and even harder to make compelling art about. With The Lamb, Lala Lala have done that.

Listen: Destroyer, I Get Cut, When You Die