Midwestern art-punk cello-rock duo Lung introduces their new album, Let It Be Gone, via Romanus Records.
Talking about ‘Let It Be Gone,’ singer/cellist Kate Wakefield says, “I feel like this album is strangely more relevant now [than when it was written]. There is a line that is in one of our songs, ‘Miles Per Hour,’ ‘to be free is to give in to a life worth living in.’ With all of the changes in the last few years, that line really rings true to me. The need for music, connection and purpose are stronger now. The need to actively live, rather than just numb the senses with whatever vice is in the nearest reach, feels strong.”
Made up of classically trained opera singer and cellist, Kate Wakefield, and drummer Daisy Caplan, formerly of Foxy Shazam, Babe Rage, and Ayin, Lung formed in 2016. Since then, the pair have played more than 500 shows in North America and Europe, sharing the stage with artists such as Japanese Breakfast, Le Butcherettes, Screaming Females, Big Business, Brainiac, Swearing At Motorists, Fucked Up, Tune-Yards, The Messthetics, La Casa Fantom, Machine Girl, Shellshag, Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, Hawthorne Heights, Zeta, Street Sects, and Chat Pile.
Lung’s 2021 album, Come Clean Right Now, took the 17th spot on NACC’s charts. The band is currently on tour with Mac Sabbath.
Let It Be Gone encompasses 12-tracks. Entry points on the album include “Jump Ship,” opening on the classical tones of Kate’s cello, followed by kicking into a dazzling Icelandic gothic-flavored melody topped by Kate’s charismatic voice under exquisite lilting control.
“Bind and fold / It was just a waste of time / But you don’t know / How it goes / It was just a waste of time / You were always on my mind.”
“Sick,” an avant-garde art-rock tune with hints of dark alt-rock, demonstrates the range and growling depth of Kate’s cello, pushing out surging washes of black tones. While “The Prettiest Machine” rolls out on choppy, jarring notes topped by Kate’s femme fatale-laced vocals.
For some reason, “Mile Per Hour” conjures up suggestions of Deep Purple under the magical spell of some mad sorcerer. Thrumming with on-the-edge of dissonance textures, the song projects both a reckless dynamism held under restraint and a rictus of desperation.
The deep, shadow-filled intro to the title track sends shivers up and down the spines of listeners as Kate’s portentous vocals imbue the lyrics with timbres that spread a chill through your vitals.
“You are lost in the water / You are breathing blue / I will find you I will find you / Bones can’t keep us from breaking / Blood won’t keep us true.”
The final track, “Bones,” travels on trembling, plucking tones, and then mousses up to thick, heavy layers of sound, while Daisy’s potent drums pump out a massive beat. The harmonics retreat, leaving only Kate’s eerie voice and haunting harmonies.
Innovative and raw, yet steadied by a residual elegance, Let It Be Gone vibrates with restless energy attired by the peerless voice of Kate Wakefield. Lung has it going on!
