Today artist Margo Price released her prescient and plaintive new single called “Lydia” which is the latest preview of Price’s upcoming album Strays. Out January 13, the album marks the loudest, lushest and most liberating music to date for the Grammy-nominated singer, songwriter and published author, but “Lydia” serves as one of the LP’s sobering respites.
Recorded in 2021 and written years before the overturning of Roe v. Wade, the somber and string-laden story sees Price abandon traditional song structure in favor of a stream-of-consciousness character study, illustrating the internal strife and self-doubt of a struggling woman who finds herself pregnant and unable to raise a child. Vivid images of methadone clinics, bleeding mascara and used needles fill the seven verses alongside references to gentrification, health insurance issues and the impending pressure of a life-altering decision.
Produced by Jonathan Wilson (Angel Olsen, Father John Misty), “Lydia” follows the “hard-living swagger” (New York Times) that was put on full display in recent singles and music videos “Been To The Mountain” and “Change of Heart,” each of which further showcases the resilient proclamation at the heart of Strays. From navigating her way through loss, lies, failure and substance abuse, Price has learned how to let go of trauma, pain and addiction, and this collection of ten original songs celebrates freedom in its many, feral forms.
Penned primarily during six mushroom-powered days that Price spent in South Carolina with her husband and collaborator Jeremy Ivey in summer 2020, and recorded at Jonathan Wilson’s Fivestar Studios in Topanga Canyon, California the following summer, Price tackles self-image, self-worth and other demons that came in the wake of her recent decision to quit drinking. Price sings unabashedly about orgasms, love, bodily autonomy and more on songs that feature Sharon Van Etten, Mike Campbell, Lucius and her longtime band of Pricetags.
“I wrote ‘Lydia’ in one sitting in a tiny hotel room after walking around the city of Vancouver one day. I was jet lagged and feeling really depressed, hopeless, but instead of taking a nap, I picked up the guitar and the words just flowed out all in one quick moment. I hit record on my phone to make a demo and sort of blacked out or went into this meditative state, and boom – eight minutes later, I had this song. It’s one of the only songs I’ve ever written that doesn’t have any real melody or even rhyme, but somehow it still works. Songs like that are rare and don’t come often.” said Price
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