Indies Green Colour Vinyl

Tracklist:

1. Summit Hill
2. Ganon
3. Ocean Swallows Him Whole
4. Broken Twin
5. Big Brother
6. Caster
7. 3
8. Oh Well
9. About (Hall Of Egrees)
10. Haha Halo
11. Lightning Strike
12. The Bed

Lutalos highly visceral folk goes electric on The Academy, the Vermont multi-instrumentalist, songwriter and producers debut LP. Recorded in January 2024 at the storied Sonic Ranch and self-produced along with Jake Aron (Snail Mail, Protomartyr, LRain), The Academy feels like watching the best underground film youve seen in years; establishing Lutalo as a singular voice of this generation of indie rock. Lutalo describes The Academy as their first chapter a time capsule of the lessons theyve learned in their 20-something years of life. This record is exactly that: a record of my early life, they say of their debut album, out via Winspear. The experiences, thoughts and feelings I was holding at those times and am currently processing. To me, this is the first big stamp of my existence Im sharing.

While Lutalos 2022 EP Once Now, Then Again introduced them as a lo-fi acoustic guitar wunderkind, The Academy is bigger and bolder without compromising Lutalos inviting sense of emotional intimacy, inspired by alt-rock veterans like Thom Yorke and Rob Crow as well as electronic greats like Aphex Twin and Bowery Electric. The Academys grander arrangements are heard in the biting adrenaline rush of Ocean Swallows Him Whole, or the anti-war jangle of album closer The Bed. Their lyrics are often deeply intuitive, flowing as a stream of consciousness, albeit with weighty meanings. With their unique baritone and finesse for lyrical world building, Lutalo cuts to the bone while only just beginning to reveal the depth of their artistry and vision.