{"product_id":"altogether-stranger","title":"Altogether Stranger","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eLael Neale’s\u003c\/strong\u003e minimalist drone pop draws inspiration from the Transcendentalists, the alienation of modern life, and a rich array of musical influences—ranging from Dionne Warwick and John Lennon to primitive American gospel and Spacemen 3.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eHer expansive new record, \u003cem\u003eAltogether Stranger\u003c\/em\u003e, was written and recorded in the early morning quiet of Los Angeles. Clocking in at just 32 minutes, the 9-song LP covers an unexpected breadth of musical and lyrical terrain—from garage rock nursery rhymes and creation myths to Motorik dance dirges and solitary Omnichord meditations.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eA brilliant lyricist, Neale has a unique ability to uncover the extraordinary within the mundane, tackling themes of polarity that recur throughout her work—country vs. city, humanity vs. technology, isolation vs. society. This album is her third collaboration with producer Guy Blakeslee who helps expand the tonal palette while staying true to Neale’s commitment to the raw immediacy and hand-made intimacy of home recording.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eAltogether Stranger\u003c\/em\u003e is a stunning album filled with dreamlike reverie, Neale’s crystalline voice, and echoes of the Velvet Underground. It was conceived after four years of oscillating between rural solitude and urban chaos. It finds Neale perched at the piano in a hilltop bungalow, looking down on a rare curve of Sunset Blvd.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eBorn and raised in Virginia’s idyllic countryside, Neale brought the high-lonesome sound of her home state with her when she moved to California to pursue music. After years of writing songs on guitar and playing small venues in Los Angeles, she discovered the Omnichord in 2019, which sparked a new creative direction.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThis led to her 2021 Sub Pop debut album, \u003cem\u003eAcquainted With Night\u003c\/em\u003e. That album’s 2023 follow-up, \u003cem\u003eStar Eaters Delight\u003c\/em\u003e, deepened the collaboration with Blakeslee, infusing minimalist soundscapes with a heightened electric energy.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eNeale’s subsequent tour included sold-out shows in Los Angeles, New York City, London, and Paris, multiple trips across Europe, and a West Coast run supporting kindred spirit Weyes Blood. This marked yet another return to Los Angeles.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eIndeed, Los Angeles is not just the backdrop of \u003cem\u003eAltogether Stranger\u003c\/em\u003e but a lead character. The album’s accompanying film - created with Neale's faithful Sony Handycam - builds on her ongoing series of videos, telling the story of Neale as an alien in a suit of mirrors stranded on Earth.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eOver the long year it took to write \u003cem\u003eAltogether Stranger\u003c\/em\u003e, Neale vacillated between childlike optimism and existential melancholy. While she may not have been able to reconcile these opposing states, \u003cem\u003eAltogether Stranger\u003c\/em\u003e represents an ambitious breakthrough for this singular, self-sufficient artist.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Sub Pop","offers":[{"title":"LP - Cream | Rough Trade Exclusive","offer_id":51254740353355,"sku":"2500033","price":23.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"LP - Magenta","offer_id":51254696870219,"sku":"2500035","price":27.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"CD","offer_id":51254696902987,"sku":"2500037","price":12.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/a9a82c0a-8088-9312-a267-2a0d24ebe596_2124e4f6-7258-406a-b832-43f4b6150a8f.jpg?v=1752244619","url":"https:\/\/shop.roughtrade.com\/de\/products\/altogether-stranger","provider":"Rough Trade","version":"1.0","type":"link"}