HAILING from LA, singer-songwriter Lou Roy has shared her first single with UK label Balloon Machine.
Produced by Sarah Tudzin of Illuminati Hotties, ‘Valkyrie’ is an innovative piece of music that takes in elements of folk, jazz, and soul to create an alt-pop sound that is entirely of her own devising.
From the very first syncopated beat, the track has you utterly entranced – Lou effortlessly invites you into her unique world with dreamy vocals and undeniable swagger. Playful yet intimate, she seems like the kind of artist who plays by her own rules – in the same way as Fiona Apple, Joni Mitchell and the like.
Darker themes reveal themselves through her introspective lyrics. Speaking of the track’s creation, she says”The song began with me tapping my water bottle while listening to my buddies have a conversation around me. It was called “water bottle birthday beat” for months, until one night in July I got high and decided to just put the beat on loop and improvise lyrics.
“I had a panic attack a few days before and had recounted that in the opening line, and from there I just decided to go stream of consciousness based on that. Apparently, I was feeling angry and vengeful – the rest of what came out was all about embracing rage.”
“Then in a sudden shift of perspective, I noticed I wanted peace and quiet and asked myself, “hey man, whatcha doin? Come on back, I need you movin!”. It was a gentle request to please not be so upset, I’m scaring me!”
The change in narrative is further emphasised in the outro of “Valkyrie”, as Roy repeats the word “return” like a mantra – serving as an affirmation to put the past to rest and move forward. Ending the track on a liberating note, she, to her own description, “slay[s] all those fuckers who have hurt me in the past.”
Watch the video below.
Photo by Silken Weinberg
