Lael Neale portrays a frustrated school teacher with talent show aspirations in the droll and self-directed official video for “I’ll Be Your Star,” a new single available now on all DSPs. The new song was recorded during the sessions for Star Eaters Delight, her acclaimed 2023 album released earlier this spring.
“I’ll Be Your Star” was written by Neale and produced and arranged by Guy Blakeslee. It also follows the release of the raw gem “White T-Shirt,” released in June.
Neale says, “Getting to make this video at my beloved elementary school felt like coming full circle. I had my first and only film class there in which I learned the spontaneous and primitive approach to making things that I’m still committed to.”
Lael Neale’s international tour schedule for 2023 in support of Star Eaters Delight, which resumes Wednesday, September 6th in Rotterdam, Netherlands, at Roodkapje and currently runs through Friday, September 29th in Seattle, WA, at The Paramount Theatre. The tour includes headlining European tour dates (through September 16th) and U.S. Pacific Northwest dates with label mate Weyes Blood (September 27th-29th). A list of dates is below, and tickets for these shows are on sale now.
Wed. Sep. 06 - Rotterdam, NL - Roodkapje Thu. Sep. 07 - Utrecht, NL - Ekko Fri. Sep. 08 - Amsterdam, NL - Paradiso Upstairs Sat. Sep. 09 - Asten-Heusden, NL - Misty Fields Festival Mon. Sep. 11 - Bristol, UK - Crofters Rights Tue. Sep. 12 - Brighton, UK - The Prince Albert Wed. Sep. 13 - London, UK - Moth Club Thu. Sep. 14 - Dublin, IE - The Workman’s Club Sat. Sep. 16 - Leffinge, BE - Leffingeleuren Festival Wed. Sep. 27 - San Francisco, CA - Warfield Theater ^ Thu. Sep. 28 - Eugene, OR - McDonald Theatre ^ Fri. Sep. 29 - Seattle, WA - Paramount Theater ^
The beguiling Star Eaters Delight reveals an expansion of Neale’s sonic collaboration with producer and accompanist Guy Blakeslee and arrives on the heels of her Sub Pop debut Acquainted With Night, which won international acclaim for its crystalline vocals, clever songwriting, and excellent use of Omnichord to build a world of beautiful reveries.
In April of 2020, Lael moved from Los Angeles back to her family’s farm in rural Virginia. Looking at the world from a distance and getting in tune with her own rhythms, she wrote and recorded steadily for two dreamlike years, driven by a need to make order out of chaos. Forged in isolation, Star Eaters Delight is a vehicle for returning, not just to civilization, but to celebration. She explains: “The unbroken silences on the farm compelled me to break them with sound. This album is louder and more external, calling out to the world.”
Star Eaters Delight was written by Neale, with arrangements and production by Guy Blakeslee. The recordings were made on cassette in Virginia and mastered by Chris Coady in Los Angeles.
Star Eaters Delight is available now from Sub Pop. LP orders from megamart.subpop.com in North America and Mega Mart 2 in UK and Europe, along with select independent retailers in North America, and the UK and Europe, will receive the Loser edition on gold vinyl.
What people are saying about Lael Neale: “A unique, boldly weird proposition, and one that proudly carries the faint hint of tractor grease. Half of it comes on like cult 70s folk artist Karen Dalton hanging out with the Velvet Underground and Suicide, while the rest offers somewhat more modern balladry, placing her more in the world of Angel Olsen and Cat Power.” - THE GUARDIAN
“Spellbinding” ★★★★★ - SHINDIG!
“There’s something a little haunting about her voice, it helps too that she writes primarily on the Omnichord, which has a little bit of spookiness built into it. But this is kind of an album for Luddites about how to exist in a world that demands too much of your attention and how you can be intentional about the way you move through it. It was recorded on cassette, which I love because it brings a real warmth to it, and a real presence of being in the room, which I think really delivers that message home.” - NPR MUSIC
“…An excellent new album” - STEREOGUM
“Neale has placed her trust in life’s meanders—and in its source—and the result is her best work yet: a golden mean between experimentation and pop, lo-fi and hi-fi, vitality and rest.” - PASTE
“Neale is imaginative, but she’s steeped in songwriting craft and she knows her way round a whopping chorus.” ★★★★ - MOJO
“Star Eater’s Delight…was recorded on cassette, and tape hiss acts like a third band member here. She sings of flowers, rivers, seas, and trees; holy water, perfect deaths; bells of time, patience, and the speed of medicine. Carried by words and rhythm, she’s barreling towards something just beyond the horizon.” - AQUARIUM DRUNKARD
“Neale has put together a tight package of an album with no stray notes but one also brimming with a sly multitude of ideas. Kudos to Neale for not playing it safe and simultaneously doing something wholly different than anyone else out there.” 9/10 - UNDER THE RADAR
“This collection of versatile songs acts as a tour of different neighborhoods in the beautifully smeary nocturnal dream world Neale began building on her last album.” ★★★★ - ALL MUSIC
“A collection of songs with the weight and conviction of hymns. Some have a more spare, lo-fi feel, with Neale’s voice accompanied by vintage instruments, including her signature mellotron, but the real centerpiece is the eight-minute “In Verona,” which brings a real sense of urgency to its invocations of Shakespeare.” - BROOKLYN VEGAN
“An elegantly spare showcase of her radiant voice, a tremulous yodel tinged with gospel and country inflections. Bathed in antique analog acoustics, spine-tingling ballads of romantic yearning....” - UNCUT
Today, Lael Neale is sharing the official video for “White T-Shirt,” a new song available now on all DSPs and recorded during the Star Eaters Delight sessions, her acclaimed album of 2023, released earlier this spring. The song was written and composed by Neale and produced and mixed by Guy Blakeslee.
Blakeslee says of the song, “‘’White T-Shirt’ dates back a number of years to when I used to follow Lael around LA to all of her barely publicized performances. The song never ceased to silence the chatter in the room. There was nothing I could add to this performance, it’s a raw gem that stands alone and cuts through the noise.”
Lael Neale has also extended her international tour schedule for 2023 in support of Star Eaters Delight, which resumes Tuesday, July 11th in Prague, CR at Zluté Lazné and currently runs through Friday, September 29th in Seattle, WA at The Paramount Theatre.
Highlights for the summer and fall run include UK & European dates supporting Ben Howard (July 11th-July 23rd), U.S. Pacific Northwest dates with label mate Weyes Blood (September 27th-29th), and new UK & European headlining shows (September 6th-16th). A current list of dates is below, and tickets for these shows are on sale now.
Tue. Jul. 11 - Prague, CR - Zluté Lazné * Wed. Jul. 12 - Warsaw, PL - Progresja Summer Stage * Fri. Jul. 14 - Berlin, DE - Zitadelle * Sat. Jul. 15 - Hamburg, DE - Stadtpark * Mon. Jul. 17 - Munich, DE - Tonhalle * Tue. Jul. 18 - Zurich, CH - X-Tra Podium * Fri. Jul. 21 - Glasgow, UK - SWG3 Yard * Sat. Jul. 22 - London, UK - Alexandra Palace Park * Sun. Jul. 23 - Cardiff, UK - Cardiff Castle * Wed. Sep. 06 - Rotterdam, NL - Roodkapje Thu. Sep. 07 - Utrecht, NL - Ekko Fri. Sep. 08 - Amsterdam, NL - Paradiso Upstairs Sat. Sep. 09 - Asten-Heusden, NL - Misty Fields Festival Mon. Sep. 11 - Bristol, UK - Crofters Rights Tue. Sep. 12 - Brighton, UK - The Prince Albert Wed. Sep. 13 - London, UK - Moth Club Thu. Sep. 14 - Dublin, IE - The Workman’s Club Sat. Sep. 16 - Leffinge, BE - Leffingeleuren Festival Wed. Sep. 27 - San Francisco, CA - Warfield Theater ^ Thu. Sep. 28 - Eugene, OR - McDonald Theatre ^ Fri. Sep. 29 - Seattle, WA - Paramount Theater ^
* w/ Ben Howard ^ w/ Weyes Blood
The beguiling Star Eaters Delight reveals an expansion of Neale’s sonic collaboration with producer and accompanist Guy Blakeslee and arrives on the heels of her Sub Pop debut Acquainted With Night, which won international acclaim for its crystalline vocals, clever songwriting, and excellent use of Omnichord to build a world of beautiful reveries.
In April of 2020, Lael moved from Los Angeles back to her family’s farm in rural Virginia. Looking at the world from a distance and getting in tune with her own rhythms, she wrote and recorded steadily for two dreamlike years, driven by a need to make order out of chaos. Forged in isolation, Star Eaters Delight is a vehicle for returning, not just to civilization, but to celebration. She explains: “The unbroken silences on the farm compelled me to break them with sound. This album is louder and more external, calling out to the world.”
Star Eaters Delight was written by Neale, with arrangements and production by Guy Blakeslee. The recordings were made on cassette in Virginia and mastered by Chris Coady in Los Angeles.
Star Eaters Delight is available now from Sub Pop. LP orders from megamart.subpop.com, and select independent retailers in North America, the UK and Europe, will receive the Loser edition on gold vinyl.
What people are saying about Lael Neale’s Star Eaters Delight: “A unique, boldly weird proposition, and one that proudly carries the faint hint of tractor grease. Half of it comes on like cult 70s folk artist Karen Dalton hanging out with the Velvet Underground and Suicide, while the rest offers somewhat more modern balladry, placing her more in the world of Angel Olsen and Cat Power.” - THE GUARDIAN
“Spellbinding” ★★★★★ - SHINDIG!
“There’s something a little haunting about her voice, it helps too that she writes primarily on the Omnichord, which has a little bit of spookiness built into it. But this is kind of an album for Luddites about how to exist in a world that demands too much of your attention and how you can be intentional about the way you move through it. It was recorded on cassette, which I love because it brings a real warmth to it, and a real presence of being in the room, which I think really delivers that message home.” “New Music Friday: The Best Releases Out April 21st” - NPR MUSIC
“…An excellent new album” - STEREOGUM
“Neale has placed her trust in life’s meanders—and in its source—and the result is her best work yet: a golden mean between experimentation and pop, lo-fi and hi-fi, vitality and rest.” - PASTE
“Neale is imaginative, but she’s steeped in songwriting craft and she knows her way round a whopping chorus.” ★★★★ - MOJO
“Star Eater’s Delight…was recorded on cassette, and tape hiss acts like a third band member here. She sings of flowers, rivers, seas, and trees; holy water, perfect deaths; bells of time, patience, and the speed of medicine. Carried by words and rhythm, she’s barreling towards something just beyond the horizon.” - AQUARIUM DRUNKARD
“Neale has put together a tight package of an album with no stray notes but one also brimming with a sly multitude of ideas. Kudos to Neale for not playing it safe and simultaneously doing something wholly different than anyone else out there.” 9/10 - UNDER THE RADAR
“This collection of versatile songs acts as a tour of different neighborhoods in the beautifully smeary nocturnal dream world Neale began building on her last album.” ★★★★ - ALL MUSIC
“A collection of songs with the weight and conviction of hymns. Some have a more spare, lo-fi feel, with Neale’s voice accompanied by vintage instruments, including her signature mellotron, but the real centerpiece is the eight-minute “In Verona,” which brings a real sense of urgency to its invocations of Shakespeare.” “Notable Releases of the Week” - BROOKLYN VEGAN
“An elegantly spare showcase of her radiant voice, a tremulous yodel tinged with gospel and country inflections. Bathed in antique analog acoustics, spine-tingling ballads of romantic yearning....” - UNCUT
This Friday, April 21st, Lael Neale will release Star Eaters Delight on CD/LP/CS/DSPs worldwide from Sub Pop. Today, she shares an official new video for “Must Be Tears,” a bittersweet standout from the album that invokes Nico with its pulsing Mellotron strings.
Neale, who directed the video, reflects, “Even though I’ve lived through many Springs, the season never fails to disappoint me with its lingering cold & dreariness. Flowers are Nature’s apology.”
Lael Neale has extended her international tour schedule for 2023 in support of Star Eaters Delight, resumes this Saturday, April 22nd in Los Angeles at Permanent Records Roadhouse, and now runs through Saturday, June 3rd in Düdingen, Switzerland, with an appearance at the Bad Bonn Kilbi Festival. Highlights for this tour include an appearance at Brighton, UK’s The Great Escape Festival Wednesday, May 10th through Saturday, May 13th (exact date TBC), Tuesday, May 30th in Barcelona, ES at Heliogàbal, and Wednesday, May 31st at Madrid, ES at Sound Isidro @ Siroco. A current list of dates is below, and tickets for these shows are on sale now.
US 2023 Sat. Apr. 22 - Los Angeles, CA - Permanent Records Roadhouse Mon. Apr. 24 - Phoenix, AZ - Trunk Space Wed. Apr. 26 - Austin, TX - Chess Club Sat. Apr. 29 - Nashville, TN - drkmttr Wed. May 03 - Washington, DC - Comet Ping Pong Fri. May 05 - New York, NY - Public Records Sat. May 06 - Northampton, MA - Parlor Room Sun. May 07 - Philadelphia, PA - Dolphin
UK/EU 2023 Wed. May 10 - Brighton, UK - The Great Escape Festival Thu. May 11 - Brighton, UK - The Great Escape Festival Fri. May 12 - Brighton, UK - The Great Escape Festival Sat. May 13 - Brighton, UK - The Great Escape Festival Sun. May 14 - Leeds, UK - In Colour Festival Mon. May 15 - Manchester, UK - The Castle Hotel Tue. May 16 - London, UK - The Lexington Wed. May 17- Paris, FR - La Boule Noire Thu. May 18 - Tourcoing, FR - Le Grand Mix Fri. May 19 - Brussels, BE - Botanique (Witloof Bar) Sat. May 20 - Amsterdam, NL - Paradiso (London Calling Fest) Mon. May 22 - Berlin, DE - Kantine am Berghain Tue. May 23 - Hamburg, DE - Aalhaus Wed. May 24 - Copenhagen, DK - Huset Thu. May 25 - Oslo, NO - Krosset Fri. May 26 - Stockholm, SE - Nomad Sat. May 27 - Gothenburg, SE - Oceanen Tue. May 30 - Barcelona, ES - Heliogàbal Wed. May 31 - Madrid, ES - Sound Isidro @ Siroco Thu. Jun. 01 - Lisbon, PT - ZDB Sat. Jun. 03 - Düdingen, CH - Bad Bonn Kilbi Festival
The beguiling Star Eaters Delight reveals an expansion of Neale’s sonic collaboration with producer and accompanist Guy Blakeslee and arrives on the heels of her Sub Pop debut Acquainted With Night, which won international acclaim for its crystalline vocals, clever songwriting, and excellent use of Omnichord to build a world of beautiful reveries.
In April of 2020, Lael moved from Los Angeles back to her family’s farm in rural Virginia. Looking at the world from a distance and getting in tune with her own rhythms, she wrote and recorded steadily for two dreamlike years, driven by a need to make order out of chaos. Forged in isolation, Star Eaters Delight is a vehicle for returning, not just to civilization, but to celebration. She explains: “The unbroken silences on the farm compelled me to break them with sound. This album is louder and more external, calling out to the world.”
Shindig! raves “The spellbinding Star Eaters Delight signals an expansion of her sonic sensibilities that feels metropolitan and voracious (conjuring scenes where lo-fi, post-punk, and avant-garde were in deep conversation) and flirts with the noisy and angular (5/5).” Meanwhile, Uncut offers this, “An elegantly spare showcase of her radiant voice, a tremulous yodel tinged with gospel and country inflections. Bathed in antique analog acoustics, spine-tingling ballads of romantic yearning like “If I Had Wings” and “Return To Me Now” blend guitar with vintage instruments including Mellotron and a Suzuki Omnichord.”
Star Eaters Delight was written by Neale, with arrangements and production by Guy Blakeslee. The recordings were made on cassette in Virginia and mastered by Chris Coady in Los Angeles. The album is available to preorder from Sub Pop. LP preorders from megamart.subpop.com, and select independent retailers in North America, the UK and Europe, will receive the Loser edition on gold vinyl.
Lael Neale
Star Eaters Delight
Tracklisting: 1. I Am The River 2. If I Had No Wings 3. Faster Than The Medicine 4. In Verona 5. Must Be Tears 6. No Holds Barred 7. Return To Me Now 8. Lead Me Blind
Lael Neale shares a new official video for “Faster Than The Medicine” from her forthcoming album Star Eaters Delight, available on CD/LP/CS/DSPs on April 21st, 2023 worldwide from Sub Pop.
“Faster Than The Medicine” gallops across a misty imagined English countryside, frenetically propelled by the drum machine built into Neale’s signature Omnichord. The video stars and is directed by Neale, who says, “It’s inspired by filmmaker Jonas Mekas; a collage of moments from my search for the mystical in the mundane.”
Lael Neale has extended her international tour schedule for 2023 in support of Star Eaters Delight, which begins Tuesday, April 11th in San Francisco, CA at The Chapel and now runs through Saturday, June 3rd in Düdingen, Switzerland, with an appearance at the Bad Bonn Kilbi Festival. A current list of dates is below, and tickets for these shows are on sale now.
US 2023 Tue. Apr. 11 - San Francisco, CA - The Chapel Thu. Apr. 13 - Pioneertown, CA - Pappy & Harriet’s Sat. Apr. 22 - Los Angeles, CA - Permanent Records Roadhouse Mon. Apr. 24 - Phoenix, AZ - Trunk Space Wed. Apr. 26 - Austin, TX - Chess Club Sat. Apr. 29 - Nashville, TN - drkmttr Wed. May 03 - Washington, DC - Comet Ping Pong Fri. May 05 - New York, NY - Public Records Sat. May 06 - Northampton, MA - Parlor Room Sun. May 07 - Philadelphia, PA - Dolphin
UK/EU 2023 Sun. May 14 - Leeds, UK - In Colour Festival Mon. May 15 - Manchester, UK - The Castle Hotel Tue. May 16 - London, UK - The Lexington Wed. May 17- Paris, FR - La Boule Noire Thu. May 18 - Tourcoing, FR - Le Grand Mix Fri. May 19 - Brussels, BE - Botanique (Witloof Bar) Sat. May 20 - Amsterdam, NL - Paradiso (London Calling Fest) Mon. May 22 - Berlin, DE - Kantine am Berghain Tue. May 23 - Hamburg, DE - Aalhaus Wed. May 24 - Copenhagen, DK - Huset Thu. May 25 - Oslo, NO - Krosset Fri. May 26 - Stockholm, SE - Nomad Sat. May 27 - Gothenburg, SE - Oceanen Thu. Jun. 01 - Lisbon, PT - ZDB Sat. Jun. 03 - Düdingen, CH - Bad Bonn Kilbi Festival
Released last month, “In Verona,” the eight-minute, 23-second 2nd single from Star Eaters Delight saw praise from the likes of Under the Radar, who named it their “Song of the Week,” and Brooklyn Vegan, who called it “a compelling track which finds Lael invoking Romeo & Juliet over a repeating piano pattern and swells of synths.” Meanwhile, Stereogum placed the song at no. 2 on its “5 Best Songs of the Week,” offered this, “This is really good. Lael Neale, her voice flat and deadpan, chants about beauty word in deed, about starborn purity, about angels stapling prayers to phone poles. Underneath her voice, pianos pound and synths drone, and horns howl. It sounds deranged and ritualistic, and hypnotic. On paper, “In Verona” is the most pretentious thing in the world. In practice, it’s a whirlwind, lifting you up and spinning you all around. The Velvet Underground were pretentious on paper, too, and nobody’s fronting on ‘Venus In Furs.’ Sometimes, you need to submit. Sometimes, it’s the only thing you can do.”
Star Eaters Delight was written by Neale, with arrangements and production by Guy Blakeslee. The recordings were made on cassette in Virginia and mastered by Chris Coady in Los Angeles.
The album is available to preorder from Sub Pop. LP preorders from megamart.subpop.com, and select independent retailers in North America, the UK and Europe, will receive the Loser edition on gold vinyl.
Tracklisting: 1. I Am The River 2. If I Had No Wings 3. Faster Than The Medicine 4. In Verona 5. Must Be Tears 6. No Holds Barred 7. Return To Me Now 8. Lead Me Blind
Today, Lael Neale shares the new song “In Verona,” from her forthcoming album Star Eaters Delight, available on CD/LP/CS/DSPs on April 21st, 2023, worldwide from Sub Pop.
“In Verona” is the centerpiece of the beguiling Star Eaters Delight, a sprawling gospel dirge in which the narrator-as-newscaster chants hypnotic incantations to lament a society plagued by divisions and hypocrisies, reimagining the Montagues and Capulets without mentioning them by name and cautioning the listener to “cast no stone.” Watch the observational and multitudinous official video for “In Verona,” directed by Lael, here.
Lael Neale has extended her international tour schedule for 2023 in support of Star Eaters Delight which now begins Tuesday, April 11th in San Francisco, CA at The Chapel and currently runs through Thursday, June 1st in Lisbon, PT at ZDB. New dates include Thursday, April 13th in Pioneertown, CA at Pappy & Harriet’s and Sunday, May 14 in Leeds, UK at the In Colour Festival. A current list of dates is below, and tickets for these shows are on sale now.
US 2023 Tue. Apr. 11 - San Francisco, CA - The Chapel Thu. Apr. 13 - Pioneertown, CA - Pappy & Harriet’s Sat. Apr. 22 - Los Angeles, CA - Permanent Records Roadhouse Mon. Apr. 24 - Phoenix, AZ - Trunk Space Wed. Apr. 26 - Austin, TX - Chess Club Sat. Apr. 29 - Nashville, TN - drkmttr Wed. May 03 - Washington, DC - Comet Ping Pong Fri. May 05 - New York, NY - Public Records Sat. May 06 - Northampton, MA - Parlor Room Sun. May 07 - Philadelphia, PA - Dolphin
UK/EU 2023 Sun. May 14 - Leeds, UK - In Colour Festival Mon. May 15 - Manchester, UK - The Castle Hotel Tue. May 16 - London, UK - The Lexington Wed. May 17- Paris, FR - La Boule Noire Thu. May 18 - Tourcoing, FR - Le Grand Mix Fri. May 19 - Brussels, BE - Botanique (Witloof Bar) Sat. May 20 - Amsterdam, NL - Paradiso (London Calling Fest) Mon. May 22 - Berlin, DE - Kantine am Berghain Tue. May 23 - Hamburg, DE - Aalhaus Wed. May 24 - Copenhagen, DK - Huset Thu. May 25 - Oslo, NO - Krosset Fri. May 26 - Stockholm, SE - Nomad Sat. May 27 - Gothenburg, SE - Oceanen Thu. Jun. 01 - Lisbon, PT - ZDB
Star Eaters Delight, which features the highlights “I Am The River,” “Must Be Tears,” “Faster Than The Medicine,” and the aforementioned “In Verona,” was written by Neale, with arrangements and production by Guy Blakeslee. The recordings were made on cassette in Virginia and mastered by Chris Coady in Los Angeles.
Star Eaters Delight reveals an expansion of Neale’s sonic collaboration with producer and accompanist Blakeslee and arrives on the heels of her Sub Pop debut Acquainted With Night, which won international acclaim for its crystalline vocals, clever songwriting, and excellent use of Omnichord to build a world of beautiful reveries.
In April of 2020, Lael moved from Los Angeles back to her family’s farm in rural Virginia. Looking at the world from a distance and getting in tune with her own rhythms, she wrote and recorded steadily for two dreamlike years, driven by a need to make order out of chaos. Forged in isolation, Star Eaters Delight is a vehicle for returning, not just to civilization, but to celebration. She explains: “The unbroken silences on the farm compelled me to break them with sound. This album is louder and more external, calling out to the world.”
Star Eaters Delight is now available to preorder from Sub Pop. LP preorders from megamart.subpop.com, select independent retailers in North America, the UK and Europe, will receive the Loser edition on gold vinyl.
Lael Neale
Star Eaters Delight
Tracklisting: 1. I Am The River 2. If I Had No Wings 3. Faster Than The Medicine 4. In Verona 5. Must Be Tears 6. No Holds Barred 7. Return To Me Now 8. Lead Me Blind
