This Is Lorelei's 2024 album Box for Buddy, Box for Star introduced some classic country influences into the sonic experimentation listeners expect from Nate Amos, based on his production work with Water from Your Eyes — although he rarely plays it fully straight, peppering his songs with thudding drum machines, alien Auto-Tune and peculiar baroque soundscapes.
The newly released Deluxe version adds three songs — and while that's not quite enough bonus tracks to completely reinvent the album, it emphasizes the pure folk songwriting at the core of Amos's sonic trickery.
In particular, MJ Lenderman's cover of "Dancing in the Club" is an enormous upgrade on the original, as he slows down the track and strips away the Auto-Tune, leaving it as an aching alt-country ballad drenched in pure pathos. He shared the song last month, and it's quickly become one of my most-listened songs of 2025.
The father-daughter duo Bob and Sarah Amos (Nate's dad and sister, respectively) do a lovely duet version of "Angel's Eye" that's not too far removed from the original, while "Two Legs" somehow sounds even more like XO era Elliott Smith than the original already did (with Snail Mail's Lindsey Jordan singing over what sounds like the same backing track from the album version).
Standout tracks "I'm All Fucked Up" (one of the best songs of 2024) and "Where's Your Love Now" don't get new versions — but that's fine, since Box for Buddy, Box for Star (Deluxe) is more about shining new light on lesser cuts than it is trying to bolster songs that were already perfect.