Lily Seabird - Alas, (2024) Hi-Res

Burlington-based indie folk singer/songwriter Lily Seabird is set to release her forthcoming sophomore record, Alas, out January 12th. After playing bass with Greg Freeman since 2018, Seabird released her debut solo LP, 2021’s Beside Yourself. Her latest album finds Seabird moving forward into new songwriting modes, moving between spectral indie folk and cascading blends of alt country, slowcore, shoegaze, and indie rock.

She also paired with co-producer and fellow Vermont songwriter Benny Yurco, along with contributions from Freeman and drummer Zack James. Seabird says, “I wrote this album in 2021 and 2022 on the road, trying to figure out who I am. A lot of them also deal with the time when my close friend passed away. The title Alas, meant a lot to her.”

Today, Seabird is sharing the album’s fourth and final single, “Waste,” premiering with Under the Radar.

“Waste” finds Seabird inhabiting a sprawling, expansive mode, building from a meditative opening into a searing finale, complete with squalling guitars and thundering drums. Even in the subdued opening minutes, Seabird commands attention with a voice that strains and aches, backed by instrumentation full of discordant and disquieting textures. Seabird herself bears echoes of vocalists like Adrienne Lenker and Squirrel Flower, while the spiked and jagged edges of the guitar tones recall Wednesday’s recent efforts.

Yet, even while the tense layers of guitar explode outward, Seabird’s elliptical songwriting takes on its own hypnotic presence, acting as an captivating focal point for the track. She intones her lyrics as an accusation, letting pain and fury color the lyrics as they grow more tortured: “And all of the blood / You left to dry / Did you know it’s just like paint? / Did you know it always stains? / All of the things you can’t erase / They’re always there / They left a stain / They’re always there / With all the pain.”