From the beginning, it is immediately evident that Globelamp’s new album The Orange Glow promises to take you on an adventure. Songstress Elizabeth Le Fey captivates and distorts reality with airy, ethereal vocals. Her latest piece tells tales of love, loss, and survival while bringing you two steps closer to nature without actually heading outside. It’s a mastery of genre-mashing, and will leave you mesmerized. Her lead track “Washington Moon” is a fantastic introduction to an album that ensures a unique auditory experience, and it transitions nicely into the more upbeat “Contraversial/Confrontational.” True to its name, we reach the next track,“The Negative,” which weaves a heartfelt tale of loss and sadness. Somber guitar chords pull on your heartstrings as Le Fey croons on about “focusing on the negative.” The track brings you through a short, two-minute journey where Le Fey comes out on the other side, instead “blocking out the negative” and ending on a more optimistic tone. The following track, “Moon Proof,” feels like a rebirth into that calmer and more positive perception. Plucky guitar and more measured vocals make this an enlightening track that’s sure to lead to at least one life-changing revelation. At the midpoint of the album is “Don’t Go Walking in the Woods Alone at Night,” which holds a passion that flips between otherworldly and savage. The track offers up a visceral experience where you almost feel placed exactly in the dark woods you’ve been warned against, goose bumps raising along your neck and a chill slithering down your spine. Yes, it’s that sort of song. The titular track following is epiphanic, with a full blown sparkly moment of realization included in the song and everything. The album makes another transitional change at “Master of Lonely” where Le Fey’s breathy vocals are backed by a more Americana, 80s rock sound. It’s the sort of track where the words don’t necessarily match the pacing of the song, giving you a piece with saddening content yet an energetic, almost happy-go-lucky beat. And again, with “Piece of the Pie,” Globelamp makes another genre hop, showing us her grungy garage rock side. It calls to mind Screaming Females who are also well-versed in ethereal grunge rock. Closing out with “Faerie Queen” only feels appropriate: it’s anthemic yet surreal, a bit of reality mixed with the magical, which is a sentiment the album seems to hold overall. Now out on Wichita, The Orange Glow is a full-length that’ll bring you to important conclusions, and is chock-full of inspiration and vivacity. If you’re looking for an artist that’ll not only satisfy your ears but also your heart and soul, look no further than Globelamp. Catch our exclusive interview with Lizzie below!
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Audiofemme: What were the inspirations behind your new album?
Lizzie Lefay: fairy tales, my love for the west coast (including the two places I lived; traveling, Simon and Garfunkel, Tori Amos, The Microphones, Taylor Swift.
AF: When you started playing around with the idea for the record, where were you in life? Were there any circumstances that sort of pushed you to sit down and create?
LL: I was in a weird period of my life where I was floating around my hometown in Orange County and waiting to start school at The Evergreen State College. I was going back and forth from Olympia and California a lot. I am always creating but I sort of thought of the name “The Orange Glow” once and wanted it to be a metaphor for something that is deceivingly beautiful, that pulls you in, but is actually scary up close.
AF: Are you hoping that your fans will take anything away from listening to your album?
LL: I just hope that they like it and if they do, I hope it makes them feel things. Not everything is good all the time and hopefully some of my songs can soothe people going through hard times.
AF: What was it like collaborating with Joel Jerome for this album?
LL: It was amazing. He is one of my best friends and has a terrific ear for music. I trust him. He is really easy to collaborate with and understands the sound I am going for. I am not only grateful that he recorded me but am also grateful for his friendship as well.
AF: If you could choose the setting for your dream performance—vast, echoey dessert; a dimly lit forest; anything—what sort of space would you create?
LL: a dimly lit room with candles and globes everywhere, where I have access to a grand piano and a guitar. any intimate comfortable setting I would like.
AF: Who are some of your musical influences?
LL” Sid Barrett, Bright Eyes, Fleetwood Mac, David Bowie, Tori Amos, Elliott Smith, Nina Simone, The Decemberists, King Crimson- Court of the Crimson King, The Beatles, The Zombies, Kathleen Hanna, Patti Smith, Jefferson Airplane, Devendra Barnhart
AF: What areas are you most excited to play at on your upcoming tour? And what were your favourite places on the recent European tour?
LL: I am excited to play in Canada. It will be my first Globelamp show there! People have been asking me online to play there for a while so I am looking forward to it. I always love being in Berlin, London, and Amsterdam but I have been there a few times. My favorite places on the European tour were probably the places I have never been to before (like Glasgow, Cardiff, and Brighton).
