Acclaimed singer-songwriter Nate Amos has announced The Singer in My Band, his highly anticipated Matador Records debut under his solo moniker, This Is Lorelei. Marking a major milestone in a breakout period that has seen Amos find his stride both solo and with his band Water From Your Eyes, the album twists the traditional foundations of the Great American Songbook into his signature offbeat, inventive indie shapes. The announcement arrives alongside the propulsive lead single “Billy Came Back”, accompanied by a music video directed by Alan “Rickman” Official, and news of an extensive global tour that includes a UK headline run this November.
The Singer in My Band stands as the first true “road record” in Amos’ extensive discography, written almost entirely while touring the globe across multiple continents. Developed slowly and subconsciously during long stretches of daydreaming out of tour van windows, the songs existed as intangible concepts long before Amos ever picked up an instrument to record them. The result is a cinematic, Altman-esque ensemble piece populated by a recurring cast of unreliable narrators, including characters named Billy, Joey, Genevieve, and Buddy, moving through chaotic, fictionalised travel experiences and distinctly American landmarks.
The driving lead single, “Billy Came Back,” perfectly encapsulates this transient, persistent writing process, having stewed in Amos’ mind for months before finally being put to tape.
He shares,
“‘Billy Came Back’ stewed for months before I picked up a guitar to work it out – I kept forgetting about it but it always came back. Finishing the song was the only way to get it to leave me alone. It’s funny, I sent my dad the album after I finished it, and he said it was kind of an ‘on the road beatnik’ album and that reframed it for me. It really is like a collection of chaotic experiences that you have while travelling. They’re also very much little works of fiction with elements of truth to them.”
The upcoming record follows a whirlwind few years of sold-out international shows and widespread industry acclaim, including having his songs covered by some of today’s most influential artists. To support the release, This Is Lorelei will be traversing the globe on a major tour cycle, featuring a mix of headline dates and high-profile support slots alongside Bleachers, @, and Colin Miller.
