Label: Polydor
Released: 2nd October 2020
As they debut their third album, LANY may seem somewhat of an enigma.
A band with a bustling fanbase, their first two records certainly made an impression – but equally, it feels like they’re an act with potential still to realise. Just south of 10 million monthly Spotify listeners, 3.5 billion streams; when it comes to numbers alone, they certainly pack a punch, but ‘Mama’s Boy’ brings something altogether different: heart.
Tethered in a world of belonging, focused on family, friends and the memories that shape us, it’s a world apart from the sheen of the big city and bright lights. Opener ‘you!’ still shimmers with the same neon haze that envelops a whole generation of modern alt-pop, but instead of a cold, wipe-clean cool, it’s packing a warm embrace. ‘a cowboy in la’, on the other hand, deals with the disconnect of being an Oklahoma boy living in the glitz, glamour and palm trees of the City of Angels.
“If there’s a heaven I hope that I get in, but I probably won’t,” offers ‘i still talk to jesus’, an intimate confessional that speaks of a “past more stained than the glass”, while ‘when you’re drunk’ is more accusatory and assertive – a conflicted realisation of a relationship that may not be for the long haul.
In reconnecting with his heritage, frontman Paul Klein finds an effortless sincerity that provides a new dimension; a transformative authenticity that makes LANY a more organic, believable prospect. What was once promise and potential now packs substance far deeper than surface aesthetics. Finally realising the band they want to be on their own terms, these mama’s boys are welcome any time.
