Melbourne, Australia's Alex Lahey made a strong first impression in 2017 with the release of her debut album, I Love You Like A Brother, a charming blast of personable power pop that was packed to the gills with wit, cheek and some big time hooks.
Having since travelled the world, Lahey returns with some new life experiences to share on her sophomore album, The Best of Luck Club. Like a wiser, older sibling, album two is the product of being holed up in studios in both Nashville and Melbourne with co-producer Catherine Marks (St. Vincent, Wolf Alice). Together, they worked on creating the perspective of different characters, stemming from their time hitting up Music City's dive bars.
Once again Lahey's distinctive knack for relatable, confessional songwriting takes centre stage. Whether it's her absenteeism on "I Don't Get Invited to Parties Anymore," confronting self-doubt on the anthemic "Am I Doing It Right?" attending therapy on "Interior Demeanour" or opening up her heart on unabashed love song "I Want To Live With You," it's hard not to imagine Lahey detailing the past year of her own life.
The Best of Luck Club, more than anything, is an album that explores all stages of a relationship in your 20s. While she did some of that with plenty of humour on I Love You Like A Brother, now Lahey appears more determined to do it with a straight face. With the exception of the sax-honking single, "Don't Be So Hard on Yourself," the album is less reliant on cracking jokes to cover up the pain.
Alex Lahey's romantic idealism is what makes her such an engaging songwriter. The Best of Luck Club may lack some of the whimsy that got her noticed, but with this more mature turn, Lahey has expressed some lyrical depth that wasn't quite there the first time around.
(Dead Oceans)Having since travelled the world, Lahey returns with some new life experiences to share on her sophomore album, The Best of Luck Club. Like a wiser, older sibling, album two is the product of being holed up in studios in both Nashville and Melbourne with co-producer Catherine Marks (St. Vincent, Wolf Alice). Together, they worked on creating the perspective of different characters, stemming from their time hitting up Music City's dive bars.
Once again Lahey's distinctive knack for relatable, confessional songwriting takes centre stage. Whether it's her absenteeism on "I Don't Get Invited to Parties Anymore," confronting self-doubt on the anthemic "Am I Doing It Right?" attending therapy on "Interior Demeanour" or opening up her heart on unabashed love song "I Want To Live With You," it's hard not to imagine Lahey detailing the past year of her own life.
The Best of Luck Club, more than anything, is an album that explores all stages of a relationship in your 20s. While she did some of that with plenty of humour on I Love You Like A Brother, now Lahey appears more determined to do it with a straight face. With the exception of the sax-honking single, "Don't Be So Hard on Yourself," the album is less reliant on cracking jokes to cover up the pain.
Alex Lahey's romantic idealism is what makes her such an engaging songwriter. The Best of Luck Club may lack some of the whimsy that got her noticed, but with this more mature turn, Lahey has expressed some lyrical depth that wasn't quite there the first time around.
