Los Angeles-based alt-pop singer-songwriter Lakookala unveils her new single/music video, “Lonely Summer,” a track encompassing the universal melancholy and isolation of the summer of 2020.
Lakookala
Self-produced, the genesis of “Lonely Summer” occurred during Lakookala’s quarantine. As she smoked and stared into her computer screen, the emotional state she experienced became palpable. Translating her feelings into art, she wrote “Lonely Summer,” not only as a catharsis but to inspire others to relate their experiences.
Lakookala’s sound merges alternative and post-punk elements into music at once upbeat and angry, heavy and dark, while still remaining fresh and affecting. When performing live, she plays drums and sings.
As an audio engineer, Lakookala has worked on a dazzling array of albums from talented artists, such as John Legend’s Bigger Love.
“Lonely Summer” opens on a reverberating rhythm topped by emerging tones of eerie color. When Lakookala’s dreamy, poignant voice enters, she infuses the lyrics with sad moodiness, echoing intense passions. A deep, droning tone adds to the aching aura of the harmonics, imbuing the song with despondent gloominess.
The video, created by Lakookala, is at once surreal and expressive. Grainy, psychedelic visuals float and shift with slo-mo portentous momentum. As the video advances, the graininess slowly fades, giving the images concise definition. The amalgamation of the throbbing, flowing, glitching music with the trancelike visuals engenders a cry of utter desolation.
Similar to a dirge tinted with post-punk essence, “Lonely Summer” seethes with low-slung spectral coloration and delicate yet dense allusions.
With “Lonely Summer,” Lakookala offers a sonic elegy to the funereal mood meted out by the pandemic and subsequent cordon sanitaire.
