Lily Allen described her new album as “an act of desperation”.
The Smile singer unveiled her long-awaited fifth LP West End Girl last month, only a few days after she revealed the unexpected project. She explained that she never approached the record, which she created in just ten days after her marriage to David Harbour ended, as something meant to succeed commercially.
Lily admitted she was not even sure she would allow anyone to hear it.
She told CBS News: “When I was making it, I honestly was not thinking about it as a commercial endeavour. It really came from a place of desperation.”
“While I was writing, I did not know if it would ever be released until very close to the date it came out. I kept asking myself, ‘Do I actually want to show this to the world?’ But I was not asking that while I was writing it, because the process felt very much like… I do not love the word, but people talk about ‘catharsis’ or ‘therapy’ in relation to music so often.”
“It is strange to even think about whether, as an artist, you should be revealing what is happening in your mind as part of your work. It is unusual that this is where we are as people.”
The 40 year old singer previously said that West End Girl should not be viewed as a “cruel album”.
She told Interview magazine: “It is not a cruel album. I do not feel like I am being harsh. These were simply the emotions I was dealing with at that moment.”
Lily said her mindset has shifted completely since she wrote the project, and she no longer feels any desire for “revenge”.
She said: “I wrote this record over ten days in December, and I see the whole situation very differently now. Everyone experiences breakups and they are always unbelievably painful. But it is rare to write about it while you are actually in the middle of it.”
“That is part of what makes this album interesting. It captures each stage of what I was going through. At the time, I was really trying to figure everything out, and that worked creatively, but I do not feel lost or angry anymore. I do not need revenge.”
MUNA have officially shared full details of their long awaited fourth studio album, Dancing On The Wall, which is scheduled to arrive on May 8.
The news comes with the release of the record’s title track and its accompanying official video, giving fans their first real look at what the trio’s new chapter sounds and feels like.
To mark the occasion, the group are planning a run of intimate underplay performances in Los Angeles, New York and London during release week. It will be a special opportunity to catch MUNA up close before they step back onto larger stages later this year.
Opening up about the project, the band described the title song as a standout moment within their body of work.
They shared: “Dancing On The Wall is possibly our favorite song we’ve made as a band. We think it’s all the best parts of MUNA – it’s coming from a really emotional and lonely place, but the song itself makes us feel powerful and euphoric. It’s written in the moment that the clock strikes midnight at the ball, and you have to give up the fantasy. In this case, it’s the fantasy of loving someone or something that can’t love you back.”
The 13 song album was produced by Naomi McPherson, allowing the band to take full creative ownership of the sound and direction. It is a project that pulls listeners straight to the dancefloor while still keeping its vulnerability front and center.
MUNA, made up of Katie Gavin and Josette Maskin alongside McPherson, have continued to build momentum over the years and were personally chosen by Harry Styles as the opening act for his first solo tour. Since then, they have also performed with Taylor Swift on the Eras Tour, in addition to sharing bills with Lorde, boygenius and Phoebe Bridgers.
Dancing On The Wall follows their 2022 self titled album, which marked their first release as independent artists after signing to Phoebe Bridgers’ Saddest Factory Records in 2021.
Fans can stream the title track across all major platforms now. For tickets to MUNA’s upcoming shows, visit laylo.com/whereismuna/m/munatour.
Dancing On The Wall tracklisting:
It Gets So Hot
Dancing On The Wall
Eastside Girls
Wannabeher
On Call
So What
Party’s Over
Big Stick
Mary Jane
Girl’s Girl
…Unless
Why Do I Get A Good Feeling
Buzzkiller
