I was very into Australian singer-songwriter Phoebe Go (born Phoebe Lou) from the jump; there was an immediately loopable quality to "We Don't Talk," the first single from her 2022 EP, Player. Lucky for me, Lou has now announced her forthcoming debut album, previewed by new single "Leave."
Produced in collaboration with Simon Lam (Charli XCX, Cub Sport), Marmalade arrives May 17 via AWAL, and features the recent singles "7 Up" and "Something You Were Trying."
"I wanted the songs to be vulnerable and brave at the same time," the artist explained in a statement. "Life threw some stuff my way. It's a moment in time. I guess my desire to make this album was always bigger than my fear of it."
She added, "Working on these songs was an outlet and it helped me move forward, which is the whole point I guess."
Drawing out some of Lou's typically tawny textures, new single "Leave" also finds some humour with the delivery of the chorus's opening question: "Are you gonna la-la-leave me?" she sings, followed by a much cooler and more detached grunt of "Huh!" amid reedy layers of guitar.
"'Leave' is sort of about self numbing," the singer-songwriter said of the track. "It's about shutting down and doing it out of fear. I wanted to capture that feeling, you know, desperation and dissociation. It's about a time in my life where I felt kinda paralyzed. It's a bit wry and double edged but in a way this song is also an apology."
Listen to "Leave" below.
