Lala Lala is a garage/indie/slacker rock band from Chicago, Illinois consisting of drummer Abby Black, bassist/co-frontwoman Emily Kempf & guitarist/co-frontwoman Lillie West. Their full-length debutSleepyhead a decade ago was positively received & the sophomore effort The Lamb as well as I Want the Door to Open were welcomed to more moderate feedback in comparison. I was however intrigued to hear them making their debut for Sub Pop Records with their 4th album & hoped it would shake up the lukewarm reception of their last couple LPs.

We get some drums & pianos colliding on the intro “Car Anymore” pleading to escape the country right off rip presumably because of the political climate within the last 13 months whereas the 2nd single “Even Mountains Erode” leans towards an alt-pop vibe singing about the symbols & signs we’re missing in our lives. The 4th & final single “Arrow” samples “Pasadena” by La Femme to explain that none of this was supposed to happen from her understanding just before “Tricks” combines a guitar & strings singing about big money wasting big time.

“Scammer” reaches the halfway point experimenting with some electronic influences down the instrumental breakdown during the last minute or so pleading not to give up until the very last drop but once the title track sings about being forever broken & being fed up with staying patient after waiting years for Lillie’s lover to swing by her place, “Anywave” decides against asking questions regarding death since she’s so scared of the end to the point where she can’t feel the present.

The lead single “Does This Go Any Faster?” rounds out 3rd blending indie pop, alt-pop, noise pop & dream pop singing about nothing on this planet being free in addition to Lillie being meant to dissolve & start again anew after losing it all while “This City” asks if anyone would move with jealousy if she cut her hair & wishing she was at a party so someone can catch her eye. “Wyoming Dirt” sends off the LP on a more minimal note singing about accepting the conclusion she has come to.

Lillie West & company conceived Heaven 2 after they left the Windy City to explore the world from Taos, New Mexico to London, England, United Kingdom & Reykjavik, Iceland until finally settling down in Los Angeles, California & the end result marks a debut on the main Sub Pop roster that elevates Lala Lala’s knack for always being on the move. Of course I have to mention the indie pop, alt-pop, noise pop & indietronica influences all over contrasting the bedroom pop sound I Want the Door to Open went for & Lillie coming to the shocking realization of steadiness having the capability of sparking a creative flame within her or both her bandmates.

Score: 3.5/5

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