LANY are back with their second record in a year ‘gg bb xx’

LANY announced the creation of their latest album ‘gg bb xx’ back in July and upon its release on September 3rd it has, of course, exceeded expectations. They’ve maintained their mellow yet colourful vibe with the effortless vocals from frontman Paul Klein, which makes their sound so distinctive. 

The first singles teasing the ‘gg bb xx’ release were ‘up to me’ and a demo version of ‘dna’ and they definitely set the carefree atmosphere of the entire record. ‘up to me’ is upbeat yet extremely smooth and subtly reflects on the memories of a past lover despite recent luck in love. ‘dna’ holds a simplicity that makes it such a charming love song with its poetic lyrics and enchanting rhythm. When it comes to writing music, LANY have mastered the art of looking at relationships through rose-tinted glasses, exploring the best parts and turning them into a few minutes of bliss. 

The third release was ‘dancing in the kitchen’ which is an old school love story about finding someone you love so dearly that all the little things become incredible – even the subtle romance of dancing together in your own kitchen:

 

“Swear the only one I want is you / And it doesn’t matter what we do / We could have nothing at all / And it’d still feel like nothing’s missing.”

 

In terms of love songs, LANY have hit the nail on the head with these lyrics making the simplest actions sound so vibrant yet effortlessly romantic. 

 

‘never mind, let’s break up’ does a total U-turn from the previous songs, depicting a relationship that slowly turned stale and inevitably ended. Despite the overwhelming layer of an unfortunate break up, this song remains incredibly poetic and heart-warming, with lyrics such as “Thank you for the ride / This is the end of our road.”  

 

Upon its release, listeners can finally enjoy the masterful ‘gg bb xx’ in full. ‘live it down’ and ‘somewhere’ relay a similar vibe to each other. These tracks effortlessly move the listener to a point where you’ll still be thinking about them when they’re over. ‘live it down’ introduces some variation with an acoustic guitar riff supporting the vocals. It is apparent from their lyrics that LANY expose their personal experiences through their music, making ‘gg bb xx’ an emotive listen.

 

‘care less’ kicks things up a notch on the album, standing out firmly because of its empowering beat and fast-paced verses. This track is imbued with a real feel-good, carefree character. You’ll be hooked from the first five seconds. 

 

‘gg bb xx’ is rounded off nicely with ‘one minute left to live’, verging on harmonic, the echoing vocals and simplistic piano bring the entire track together and ties the whole album together in just a few minutes. 

 

With ‘gg bb xx’, LANY have delivered a graceful and timeless record. Their ability to write love songs with such elegance is unmatched and with the return of gigs, this album will make for a brilliant live set.

 

Anna Scrimgeour 

@anna.scrim 

 Image: LANY ‘gg bb xx’ Official Album Cover