Lala Lala, the project of Lillie West, releases “Arrow,” the fourth single/video from her new album and Sub Pop debut, Heaven 2, out February 27th. “Arrow” marks a moment of bold joy, capturing the escape that happens when one is freed from pain. The song samples French electro-pop band La Femme and moves fast – its swiftness and pleasure feel like running towards something, not away. “None of this was supposed to happen,” West sings, as the song races away from her. “It’s such a basic spiritual thing,” West reflects. “Resistance is the root of all suffering, and I did not know that. I thought that I could dictate the course of my life.” Of course, like everyone else, she could not. Wherever you go, there you are.

“Arrow” follows “Heaven2,” the “haunting, vocal-and-synth exercise that slowly morphs into a dazzling and funky R&B slow jam,” (FLOOD) the “cosmic” (Stereogum) “Even Mountains Erode,” and the “exquisite” (Stereogum) lead single, “Does This Go Faster?.”

Watch the Video for “Arrow”

For many years, West lived in Chicago, where she established Lala Lala as an integral part of the city’s indie scene, releasing two albums – The Lamb (2018) and I Want the Door to Open (2021) – on the Sub Pop imprint Hardly Art. They were powerful statements from a curious artist: catchy guitar-pop songs about being stuck in the ups and downs of life, the struggle to stay sober, to leave town, to blow up your life. West left Chicago to search for more, and in the process, wrote Heaven 2. On her journey, she landed off the grid in Taos, Iceland, and London. Following a residency in a tiny Icelandic town, she made her way to Reykjavik and released an instrumental album, If I Were A Real Man I Would Be Able To Break The Neck Of A Suffering Bird (2024), and finally headed to Los Angeles, where she has, almost surprisingly, fallen in love and found herself settled. 

West has always made her music in response to an itchiness to always be moving, but as she developed a burgeoning desire to settle, she found the surprise realization that steadiness can beget creativity. That evolutionary tension is what fuels Heaven 2. The album was co-produced by West and Jay Som’s Melina Duterte, who provides a strong punchiness as a bed for West’s warm, rounded vocals. Duterte and West performed almost all of the album’s instruments with a few crucial guests, including Sen Morimoto, Macie Stewart, and Porches’ Aaron Maine. 

Heaven 2 is now available to preorder on CD/LP/all DSPs from Sub Pop. LPs purchased from megamart.subpop.com, MegaMart Europe in the UK + EU, and your local record store, will receive the limited Loser Edition on Ocean Blue (NA) and Crystal Clear (UK/EU) vinyl, while supplies last. Lala Lala will embark on a North American tour next month and will support Death Cab for Cutie for two dates in August. 

Pre-Order Heaven 2

Watch the Video for “Does This Go Faster?”

Watch the Video for “Even Mountains Erode”

Listen to “Heaven2”

Lala Lala Tour Dates

(New Dates in Bold)

Fri. March 6 - San Diego, CA @ Casbah %

Sat. March 7 - Pioneertown, CA @ Pappy + Harriett’s %

Sun. March 8 - Tucson, AZ @ Club Congress %

Tue. March 10 - Austin, TX @ 29th St. Ballroom %

Wed. March 11 - Dallas, TX @ Rubber Gloves %

Fri. March 13 - Denver, CO @ Globe Hall %

Sun. March 15 - Salt Lake City, UT @ Kilby Court %

Tue. March 17 - Portland, OR @ Polaris Hall %

Wed. March 18 - Seattle, WA @ Baba Yaga %

Fri. March 20 - San Francisco, CA @ Cafe du Nord %

Sat. March 21 - Los Angeles, CA @ Lodge Room %

Tue. March 31 - Washington, DC @ Songbyrd*

Wed April 1 - Raleigh, NC @ Kings*

Thu. April 2 - Asheville, NC @ Eulogy*

Fri. April 3 - Atlanta, GA @ Masquerade Altar*

Sat. April 4 - Nashville, TN @ Blue Room @ Third Man*

Tue. April 7 - Minneapolis, MN @ Zhora Darling*

Wed. April 8 - Milwaukee, WI @ Cactus Club*

Thu. April 9 - Chicago, IL @ Thalia Hall*

Fri. April 10 - Detroit, MI @ Lager House*

Sat. April 11 - Toronto, ON @ The Garrison*

Sun. April 12 - Montreal, CA @ L’Esco*

Tue. April 14 - Boston, MA @ The Sinclair*

Wed. April 15 - Philadelphia, PA @ PhilaMOCA*

Thu. April 16 - New York, NY @ Nightclub 101*

Fri. April 17 - Brooklyn, NY @ Baby’s All Right*

Thu. Aug. 6 - Las Vegas, NV @ The Theater at Virgin Hotels ^ 

Fri. Aug. 7 - Paso Robles, CA @ Vina Robles Amphitheatre ^ 

% = w/ lots of hands

* = w/ mother soki

^ = supporting Death Cab for Cutie