LOU TIDES - “AUTOSTATIC!” REVIEW
Written by Beau Croxton
Lou Tides by Suz Murray
ALBUM OF THE MONTH: MAY
Teeny Lieberson’s debut LP as Lou Tides, Autostatic!, is a bold, intense, triumphant and multi-faceted thriller that grabs a hold and never lets go.
Teeny Lieberson has been a major musical force in NYC for well over 13 years- she is a notable veteran in the indie community. She started playing keys in the band Here We Go Magic and later went on to front her own band TEEN with her sisters in 2010. TEEN was a band that stood many leagues above the so-called “cool” bands that dominated in New York at the time; TEEN were musicians whose talent exceeded any trend. Their debut album In Limbo was infectious and exciting, and their sophomore album The Way And Color was a major peak of creativity (and my personal favorite.) TEEN’s third LP Love Yes was a very fun version of their usual high quality and their final album Good Fruit closed out their run of four great studio albums with a sense of grace and maturity. By that point, Teeny Lieberson was already indie-rock royalty. Since then, Teeny has officially joined Sharon Van & The Attachment Theory as a member and songwriter, she has played with Sleater Kinney as a member of their touring band, and she began her solo journey.
After TEEN, when Lieberson started her new solo project, Lou Tides, it was clear she was going to lean even further into the artistic intensity that made her such a highly unique musician. Her Infinity Loop EP had a visual accompanied film which had elaborate prosthetics and a transformative scene where she morphed into a dolphin. Sure, it was totally over the top, but ultimately it was truly fantastic. The 5 consecutive tracks on Infinity Loop gave a hint of what a cohesive full-length record could potentially look like from Lou Tides. However, her debut LP Autostatic! succeeds in expertly blowing any expectations out of the water.
Autostatic! is many things…dark, jarring, beautiful, brilliant and well-designed. Produced by Bartees Strange, the album is characterized by elaborate production and is significantly enhanced by Lieberson’s expertise in synthesizer sounds. It is a multifaceted ride that refuses to be defined. Throughout the record, there are many different displays of art rock, indie-pop, post-punk, EDM, lo-fi rock and much more. It can be absolutely haunting at one moment and gorgeous the next. . Either way it leans, it's got your attention through every brilliant detail.
Occult is here with a track-by-track-review for our Album of the Month : Autostatic!
On the album opener “Low Wow”, blistering synthesizers burst in loudly as soon as your finger comes off the play button; it feels like the sonic equivalent of being hit by a pitch-black tidal wave from an alien ocean. It throws you into a sense of confusion as to where things might go next. Then, in a cleverly designed twist, the synths are chopped up into 4/4 to land perfectly on a sinister beat that gets you moving.
The first verse kicks off with demonic, pitched-down vocals that depict an abuser who taunts Lou Tides, calling her by name. It’s quite a scary banger with a heavy subject matter of domestic violence, but at the same time it's a total bop- which creates a conflicting feeling. Ultimately, Lieberson tackles this heavy subject matter by using camp in a brilliant way, which makes for great art. The choruses are a spectacle of groovy vocals and bloopy arpeggiating synthesizers. Throughout the outro, thumping and crashing drums chug on, as the siren-esque synths swirl out of control… It's simply an astonishing track.
“Did You Get High?” kicks off with thumping drums and haunting vocal harmonies that are synced in an odd rhythmic fashion. It begins as this deconstructed version of itself and tensions rise as the cryptic vocal harmonies prod with the question “Did You Get High?”. These two vocals haunt like the twins in the Shining over the odd backbeat. About half way through, a highly unexpected explosion of synths and intense, wailing drums take the track to the sky. The eruptive instrumental carries a very proggy feel and it's one the most thrilling instrumentals on Autostatic!. The unexpected and jarring 1-2 punch of the first two tracks is incredibly thrilling, and serves as an incredibly bold opening to the record. It’s really tempting to start Autostatic! all over again with an opening like that.
Title track “Autostatic!” begins with warm and inviting fluctuating keys. The track is a bit more pop-structured and straightforward and it is a very welcome art-pop-rock moment after two brilliant, haunting tracks. The vocal and synth sound is a bit reminiscent of TEEN’s debut album In Limbo . As far as Teeny Lieberson's “bops”, I gotta say…this track is top shelf. It has a sassy attitude and a manic post-punky chorus that's totally killer. Warped electronic drum fills ramp into a melodic synth outro that is very gorgeous. “Autostatic!” a huge banger that really holds its own in her catalog. Be very sure to check out the music video for this track, which is a stunner and properly sets the vibe for this record.
Lou Tides by Suz Murray
Moody and consequential, “I Understand it’s Spilled Milk” lyrically explores Lieberson’s disappointments, hopelessness and sacrifices. The title of this track stems from Lieberson giving herself a hard time for indulging in self-pity in the song. The track is composed of interesting musings, brash instrumentals and wild production. It combines melodic, descending vocals with harsh and distorted instruments weaving in and out; almost feeling experimental. The song concludes with a lighthearted and bratty grunge section that is a slo-mo headbanger. The record is full of moments that either feel like huge energetic breakthroughs or “ghost stories” of the past, as Teeny described in our cover story.
“Flood Facts” takes the darker nature of the last track into some real beauty. This record has a great way of weaving through the beautiful and the creepy, and blurring the line between the two. I have always felt some David Bowie-spirit in Teeny’s vibrato throughout her work, and it is apparent here; you can hear echoes of the Thin White Duke throughout this record. “Flood Facts” is a very pretty piece with an outro that climbs to a very cinematic moment.
“Map Maker” is an uplifting and occasionally freaky club song. Dancing synth arpeggios swirl around the track as it straight-up slaps. It slightly recalls New Order, but it mostly recalls some of the EDM styles that Lou Tides has touched on in the past. “You were always easy to love!” Lieberson belts; the chorus is one of the breakthroughs of positivity on the record and delivers a symphony of excellent vocal vibrato that exudes Bowie and Siouxsie Sioux. “Map Maker” is pure drama and totally awesome. On this side of the record, the songs lean thematically towards resolve and are less troubled that the previous “hauntings” - it brings great sense of balance and completion to Autostatic!.
Autostatic! Album Artwork. Art & Design by Vanessa Castro with Creative Direction & Photography by Suz Murray. Out today on Switch Hit Records
“Keep Myself” is an epic declaration of commitment to wellbeing. “Yes, I’ll Keep myself alive!” Lieberson claims, as an army of distorted synths slam on the chorus . This chorus feels like the breakthrough moment of the record. The outro builds into a halftime beat and warped piano chords with Lieberson belting her heart out over crunchy, odd percussion as the track fades. It's a great vocal performance, sounding triumphant and tortured.
When “Folklorish” enters the picture, it switches the mood to feel like resolution has been met; it is purely gorgeous, confident and bad ass. This track feels like a victory lap after the breakthrough in the previous track, with Lieberson sounding sly, soulful, and cocky. Its details like these that make the arc of this album such a great front-to-back journey.
The back half of “Folklorish” utilizes two of the strongest instrumental elements in the record: the tasteful and fantastic drumming of Sarah Galdes and Lieberson’s outstanding synth arpeggios. The funky drums and groovy synth arpeggios begin swirling into a beautiful symphony. Soothing vocal layers from Lieberson start to dominate the mix before one final rock-out moment. When this song is in its grandest moments, it feels like it could soundtrack a slow-motion scene in a movie, where the main character is walking casually, confidently, and completely unscathed as the entire world explodes around them in an epic and dystopian fashion. “Folklorish” is a huge standout that keeps getting more incredible as it rolls, and it feels like a sonic climax of all the soul searching events of the record, as the penultimate track. The cocky mood and explosive drama of “Folklorish” feels like Lieberson is taking her power back.
“Clotted” is a gorgeous lullaby-type closer that asks, “Is this what my best years look like? finding ways to forget the daylight” It’s a nice waltz with a reflective sense. “I’m here to love, I’m here to love, But I’m all clotted and torn” Lieberson sings with a dash of melancholy and yearning, looking towards a hopeful future. It ties up themes of the record nicely before sending you off, and it's accentuated by harmonies, psychedelic layers, folky guitars and gorgeous fretless bass. It plays like a beautiful credits roll, after the intense, gripping, and artsy ride that is Autostatic!.
Autostatic! is a very powerful and highly creative journey through wild sonics and unpredictable thrills from a music veteran who has already proved so much. Yet here we are, and she’s still clearly exceeding expectations and making bold, interesting and incredible music today. Every track here more than earns its place in the arc of the record and the standouts are some of her best work. Her first solo debut LP as Lou Tides is a triumph- Autostatic! is a very boldly personal and intensely gripping world that never lets go; from the moment the tidal wave of “Low Wow” hits, the album envelops you entirely with its command from start to finish.
Occult Highlights: Low Wow, Autostatic!, Folklorish, Map Maker, Did You Get High?, Keep Myself
(…but we recommend you blast the record front to back on repeat as you do some killer and spooky interpretive dancing)