There’s a particular kind of light that follows singer-songwriter Alice Phoebe Lou wherever she goes – soft, golden and a little wild around the edges. It’s the light of someone who’s learned to live inside her own world, to move with instinct rather than instruction. Today, that glow radiates brighter than ever with the release of Oblivion, Lou’s sixth studio album and her most self-assured body of work to date.
Written, produced and performed entirely by Lou herself (for the first time ever), Oblivion feels like the gentle exhale after a decade of exploration. It’s a homecoming for the fearless street musician from Cape Town who once busked her way through Berlin’s pavements before stepping onto some of the world’s most storied stages (last year she toured alongside Clairo on the Charm Tour, and she has recently performed at London’s iconic Roundhouse, The Lodge Room in Los Angeles and Colorado’s Red Rocks Amphitheatre alongside Remi Wolf). Humming with authenticity and intimacy, this album is a collection of indie songs, pulling inspiration from the likes of Nick Drake, Joni Mitchell and Leonard Cohen, that trace the contours of dreams, memory and the tender chaos of love. Across its 11 tracks, Lou leans into imperfection, embracing the crackle of something real with happy mistakes left in, the serene sound of her supple, bittersweet vocals and lullaby-like melodies evoking the kind of resonance that sticks with your soul.
Soft acoustic guitar, harp and piano form the album’s delicate backbone, while vintage-y synths shimmer quietly in the background. The songs move slowly and steadily, each one unfolding like breath, with Lou’s sometimes shaky vibrato adding texture and emotional weight. It’s music that makes you want to close your eyes and just sway.
There’s no gloss here, no overproduction – just the sound of an artist trusting her own pulse. From the honeyed oscillations of Darling to the quiet self-revelation of Pretender, Oblivion marks a return to simplicity while capturing the clarity that comes from experience. Lou describes the album’s namesake state – that blissful unawareness, that escape from the weight of being perceived – as both refuge and revelation. On the title track, Oblivion, she sings, “There’s no need to run, I’m flung into oblivion / No time, no space, I’m in between,” her voice layered atop itself and floating over rhythmic piano chords. Finding strength in softness, the album is proof that letting go can sometimes be the bravest thing of all.
Lou’s journey from Cape Town to Berlin to wherever her sun-dappled sound will carry her next is a testament to creative autonomy and emotional honesty. Here, we chat to Lou about returning to her roots, the strange serenity of Oblivion, and why, sometimes, being lost can be the most liberating place to be.
1. Oblivion certainly feels like one of your most personal releases yet, which you describe as “a build up of over a decade”. What about this particular point in your career made the timing feel right to finally release these songs?
It’s a relief to arrive at a point in my career and my life where I feel confident enough to make a solo record that takes me back to my roots as a street performer. I stopped feeling like my next record had to always be bigger and better and allowed myself to make something simple and for myself. I have awesome and dedicated listeners who seem open to hear whatever I am wanting to make and it makes me feel like the sky is the limit and I don’t need to stick to any kind of formula to be heard.
2. Tell us about the title, Oblivion, and the personal meaning it has for you.
The idea of oblivion – ‘being unaware or unconscious of what is happening’ – is a kind of blissful place I seek to go at times. A place I can sometimes reach in music and self expression, being lost in the moment. I can be so hyper aware of everything and everyone all the time – it gets exhausting thinking about everyone’s emotions, dynamics, expressions and reading into every little thing and trying to fix everything, so oblivion through creativity feels like an escape from that hyper awareness. The other definition – ‘the state of being forgotten, especially by the public’ – is some kind of fantasy to me at times – when I feel overwhelmed by the way others see me, put me on a pedestal or turn me into a symbol. I try to go to that place so I can write and create for myself and for the expression of my inner world without thoughts of how the music is perceived or judged by an audience.
3. Describe your sound in three words.
Melodic, melancholic and playful.
4. What is your favourite lyric from the whole album?
“I’m stronger now that I’m softer too/I’m older now but feel younger than when I pretended to know everything/Wanted to win rather than learn something,” from the song Pretender.
5. Who would be your dream collaborator?
I have always dreamed of doing something special with a symphony orchestra.
6. Which artists inspired you most growing up?
PJ Harvey, Cat Power, Portishead, Joni Mitchell, Ani Difranco and Leonard Cohen.
7. You’ve been compared to the likes of Judy Garland and Kate Bush, but if you had to pick one of them for a karaoke duet who would you choose? And what song would you pick?
I’d pick Kate Bush and do Donnie and Joe Emerson’s Baby.
8. What does your ideal Sunday look like?
Going to the beach with friends, playing games, playing in the waves, losing track of time. Bonus if it ends with a yummy meal cooked together.
9. What else can we expect from Oblivion?
It’s a collection of sincere and meaningful songs that were written at different times in my life – poking at me and the world, my relationship to myself and others and the highs and lows of being in love. The pallet of instruments is quite limited to highlight the songs and cut away any excess. You will hear some ‘mistakes’ that I kept in there to keep it real and you’ll hear some experiments and playful guitar and piano solos along the way.
10. Where do you see yourself in 10 years?
Hopefully making and performing music, exploring different sounds and making music that is meaningful to me and others.
Photography courtesy of Alice Phoebe Lou.
