Steph’s Lightning 100 DJ Pick of The Week this week is “Better” by Alice Phoebe Lou!
Cape Town indie captain Alice Phoebe Lou has come a long way from fire dancing. Lou is comfortably in the midst of a quietly impressive career that has seen all ends of the globe. Well-traveled and curious, her music sounds as grounded as it does fantastical. It’s not until we veer beyond the realm of the cultural watering hole of America that we find some of the most creative and eccentric songwriting. Marked by abstract imagery and lo-fi aesthetics, Lou has been known to flirt with the dream state. “Better” sees her signature brand of cosmic folk assume a more lounge style outfit.
Fresh off the heels of an opening slot for Clairo, “Better” assimilates neatly into the aesthetics both women have pioneered. Sounding somewhere between an enchanted marsh and a hotel lobby on the moon, the track sports a vivid haze. The instrumental pallete is sparse, utilizing pedal steel and a classic rhodes in the copilot to Lou’s present vocals. Her poetry details a bird’s eye view of regret, though without disdain. Instead, vocal effects and padding to the arrangement allow the song to swell and shrink as the energy ebbs and flows. It’s hard to pin down, in the best way, despite its profound simplicity.
Alice Phoebe Lou is fresh off her tour with Clairo, having opened for her with some solo dates in between. Her Nashville stop included a pop-up show at Third Man Records, entry granted with a purchase of 2023’s Shelter. “Better” arrives as the latest in a surprisingly prolific career. After five albums, a couple live releases, and countless singles and feature performances, Alice Phoebe Lou still refuses to release virtually anything subpar. Check out her KEXP live session below and listen for “Better” on Lightning 100!
Tune in to 100.1 FM or lightning100.com all day to hear “Better” by Alice Phoebe Lou, Steph’s DJ Pick of the Week! Share your thoughts on the track by tagging #L100DJPicks on Twitter!