Jumping outside of the box and breaking boundaries

Lala Lala is an alternative/indie rock project made up of Chicago-based singer-songwriter and guitar player Lillie West. I Want The Door To Open serves as her third album where she shoots for a utopia, euphoric feel that’s much different from her usual rock roots. Lala Lala embraced the many different ways of expression of digital recording throughout this album. 

Working with co-producer Yoni Wolf from WHY?, the alternative hip-hop and rock band, Lala Lala comes out of her hardcore shell with carefully synthesized orchestration and intimate vocals. She wrote and arranged for melodic instrumentals, like the piano, that are foreign to her. 

“Color of the Pool” exhibits an artist seeking musical freedom with an echo feel from the vocals meshed with a digitally produced bassline. Even the lyrics sound as though they come from a different realm within West’s personality. “I want to be the color of the pool/ I want to hold the fire part of fuel/ And I can’t see a place where I wouldn’t let it follow me/ Moving currents in the air sensing shifting energy.” Its following track, “DIVER,” has a catchy chorus that stays true to her theme of thinking outside the box with lyrics such as “swimming out towards my new life.” 

Featuring Kara Jackson, a Black, queer singer-songwriter from Illinois, “Straight & Narrow” sounds as if it’s from a fairytale movie with the dazzling instrumental and soft harmonies. “Beautiful Directions” is a healthy balance between “DIVER” and “Straight & Narrow.” Not only does it have a catchy, intriguing chorus, but its flow is soothing and easygoing. The repetitive lyrics give off a melancholic feel as she seems to be speaking of a relationship that’s hanging on by a thread. 

“Prove It” is one of the more flat tracks of I Want The Door To Open. Her simple voice and lyrics on top of basic alternative guitar chords showcase the genre she’s most used to. This song is a bit of a contrast to the unconventional sound she seemed to be going for. Especially with “Prove It” being directly in the middle of the album, it somewhat throws off the euphoria created throughout the rest of the songs. 

Closing off the project, “Utopia Planet,” a heavily synthensized song, and “GB” incorporate fleeting moments from West’s grandmother that beautifully display the exhilaration of time and being in the moment. West creates her own universe in I Want The Door To Open as she breaks the boundaries that exist within herself.