Following the release of I Want The Door To Open, we caught up with Lillie West, frontperson of Chicago's Lala Lala about the 1-833-LALA-NOW voicemail, dream collaborations, and what she learned on tour opening for Death Cab For Cutie.

Interview Transcript

Edited for clarity and length

ZEKE: The album is out right now, how does it feel to have the album I Want The Door To Open out right now?

LILLIE WEST: Really good. I worked on it a long time and I've been waiting a long time. So it's like a very--it's a release, no pun intended.

And that song "The Color of the Pool" is one of your favorite songs on the whole album. Why?

I think that on one hand it's because it was so hard to make. I've never made so many versions of a song in my life. There's probably 30 versions of that song and I started making it--the beginnings of that song some five years ago probably. And there's like an EDM version, or like a really slow version with bells--I tried so many different things and I could not figure out that song. We ended up figuring it out on the last day of recording and it is exactly how I wanted it, it's better than I thought. It was just very satisfying to have that process. Also I think it's just about something that I think about--I'm always trying to embody this intensity and I was really pleased with how I felt that the song lyrically and musically did that.

Will all those versions ever see the light of day, or are you thinking, "They're done, they're over with."

Maybe if I ever do a Song Exploder. That would be the perfect song for Song Exploder because there's so many demos.

Describe your perfect atmosphere to create in.

I think alone, at least at starting something. Alone and no distractions, like no phone or other responsibilities. For me to really be good at creating I have to have a clean space. I can't have anything else to do that day. I can't need to call someone or something. It's really about just having a purity of concentration.

There was many different versions of "Castle Life". How do you start your process of making a record?

I try not to ever think about the record, per se, as I'm writing, I just am like writing semi often, like all the time, kind of. Then with this one, it was sort of like, "Oh, it's time to make a record, let's take a look at what I've written over the past two years or something," and sort of try and piece it together and then develop all those demos from there, because that's another thing I do when I'm writing. I almost never am writing like how the final song will be. It's just sort of expressing myself. I think the song "Bliss Now" on the record is the one song that it's almost exactly the same as the demo, I basically just recreated the demo higher quality. But everything else is like completely different.

How long does it usually take you to write a song? What's the process?

I think everything is different every time. I might--a song might start from a lyric or it might start from a beat or like a loop or something. And it's completely up in the air what happens afterwards. There's a couple songs I've written, that have just fell out, like completely done, basically, in one sitting. Then there's other songs that, like I said, take years and years and years to find their final form. So it's really different every time, which I really like. I don't want to know, it's a very mysterious process that I enjoy.

Which song was the most difficult to write on the album?

I don't know about to write. But "Diver" was definitely the most difficult to finish--I could still work on that song. It was really hard to figure out which instruments I wanted to be in there, and mixing them was really hard, because it's so dense. I did want it to be a really extreme song. Maybe this is the best version that it could possibly be. But I would also be really curious to keep working on it and make thirty more versions of that song.

What would you change? Or what would you add to it right now?

I guess if I were to work on it right now, I would just go back in and examine everything that's there and hear it. I'd be like, "Ooh, what is it like if it's like just vocals and trumpet?" Or something. You know, I'm just curious. What else could happen?

The promo for the album release is hilarious. I love how you got the different characters and talking to yourself and it looks great. How did that come about?

I just had an idea to make an infomercial that was kind of wacky and I basically consulted with Will Duncan who directed and and wrote it and Sarah Squirm stars in it and co-wrote it. Honestly, that was mostly them, like they just ran with my idea and absolutely crushed it. They are really creative, hilarious people.

It's super funny. I love how they talk about the barbecue and she's eating the ribs in that one, which we talked about before getting on. It's difficult to pick what to eat. What is your favorite food?

My favorite food? I think sushi. I just love sushi.

What was the first album that changed your life? [cat meows in Lillie's background] It's a tough question. I know there's many albums, or the first CD that you bought that you were like, "Okay, this is the album that defines," Oh, nice cat.

Oh, she's good. I remember--this isn't exactly a direct answer to that. But I remember my mom would always play music in the car. She would listen to Kate Bush, who I love now, and she was into Buena Vista Social Club and Supertramp she loved, and I remember David Bowie was the first artist that she played that I was like, "Oh, I get this. I really really like this," when I was a little kid. But I don't know, maybe the Violent Femmes' self-titled album. I feel like that was maybe some of the first music that I I discovered and liked, like independent of anyone else. I don't know how I found it. No one showed it to me and I was like, "Oh, I really really connect with this, and maybe I want to learn bass." It is so wild.

Yes, such a good baseline. Next song we're gonna get to is "Prove It". What's your favorite part about this song, that we're gonna hear right now?

I really like the vocals in the song. I really was happy with the tone and the effects that we chose for different parts of the song, I thought were effective. Again, another pun.

So many puns, let's enjoy it right now, here on The Current.

[music: Lala Lala, "Prove It"]

That was "Prove It" from Lala Lala here on The Current. Beautiful direction--you wanted to make it sound like a late 90s/2000s songs like Len's "Steal My Sunshine". What's your favorite top 3 songs from that era?

Oh my god I don't know, it's so hard. Can I just say "Steal My Sunshine" for every single one? "Steal My Sunshine".

Len is amazing. You've toured with Death Cab for Cutie, and Ben on the song "Plates"--you heard him in the background of it. What did you learn from touring with Death Cab?

They were just so generous and kind with us, you know? They spent time with us, they shared their food, and their sound person, and they watched our set every night so it was maybe a lesson on how to be a great main act towards a support member. I just always think that whoever we tour with, takes tour and music really seriously in their own way and I always learn some way of taking it seriously--whether that be--I feel like Death Cab is really positive. They're like very much like, "We're so lucky to be here. This is an amazing experience," and that is inspiring to be near. Every band we tour with I learn something like that. Some aspect of being grateful or taking it seriously or respecting the experience and respecting the people that you're with. Also, they're like really healthy. They all run and get enough sleep and eat really well, so I feel like that's a very good recipe for longevity on tour.

What's the best touring advice that you ever received from someone, as you embark on your upcoming tour next year?

I don't know if this is the best but this is the one that immediately came to my mind: on one of the very first DIY tours I ever went on, my friend Mikey said, "When you're in the car, just don't feel like you have to talk all the time. Everybody doesn't have to be hanging out all the time, it can be quiet." So I always think about that.

I mean, that is definitely something that has to be done. You can't entertain 24/7 to someone, it's not right! You had the voicemail 1-833-LALA-NOW, what was your favorite voicemail that you got?

There's so many that I love so much. But the one that I love has a lot of swearing in it, so I can't say it. [laughs] It's just people's tones, so I got a lot of really genuine messages that were were really wonderful.

What's the plans? Is there a plan to release those or do something with them?

There's not a definite plan. I did start sampling some of them the other day, putting them into songs. Yeah, I think I might use them in songs in the future. But I'm going to make one big long one. Maybe it's like a thank you, or just like a fun thing for everyone to hear.

That would be sweet. Would you rather work in collaborations or all by yourself? You've collaborated with The Beths on this album and a few other producers.

I love collaborating. I really like writing by myself for starting writing, but production and stuff I just love collaborating. I love seeing what other people can bring to the table or their ideas or how they'll change something that I think is is finished or I think should be a certain way and I'm like certain about that. Then they introduce another element or an idea that completely flips on its head, and it is way better in my opinion. I also think it's easy to appreciate other people's ideas sometimes, you get so in your head and so focused on the minute details of something and then someone else comes in with some big sweeping idea and you're like, "You know what, that's that's brilliant." I don't have to be so critical of myself when it's someone else's idea.

You know this is the question that most people ask, what is your dream collaboration?

Oh my god, I don't know, Bjork?

That would be awesome.

I love Bjork, I also really wanted to collaborate with Brockhampton. I feel like we can make such a cool song.

Yes!

I'm always on Twitter trying to get Kevin Abstract to notice me. I'm like, "Kevin, listen to my music. Make a song with me."

Even just on a hook or something, like you and Brockhampton and you together would be amazing.

Thank you. I agree. I really want to collaborate with them.

If you could have the whole world's attention for one minute, what would you say?

I think I would try and convince everyone to abolish prisons. Whenever I get a question, that's like, "Is there anything that you wish that we had?" There's this organization in Chicago called Illinois Prison Project that I love that helps people who have like excessive--because Illinois is insane. I mean, everwhere does, but Illinois has insane excessive sentencing, they have a three strike rule which is like literally you steal a candy bar, it's your third strike, you go to prison for the rest of your life. It's insane, and they work with people pro bono to get their sentences reduced or get them clemency. So I always try to bring them up when I have a chance. I love them. Maybe I would talk about them, but if it's the whole world, I don't necessarily need to focus on that.

I mean, there's a lot of prison reform throughout the world, so I mean, it could be very helpful, and that is something. What inspires you the most?

I think other people, like love. The way that you relate to other people, and this is also like a baby thought, but just like the earth. The earth is this massive, incredible organism that's like desperately trying to survive, and that's really inspiring to me.

And waters of inspiration. You bring it out throughout your different forms of water, and it's so impactful. I love how you do that, because I think about that a lot, just me personally, just how water is like the greatest thing that we have on this earth at times.

I'm still writing about water, there's water all over this record and my new stuff--I can't stop writing about water because it's everything.

External Links

Lala Lala - official site

Credits

Host - Zeke
Guest - Lillie West
Technical Director - Erik Stromstad
Producers - Jesse Wiza, Derrick Stevens
Music Video Director - Max Moore
Director's Assistant - Christian Heinzel
Music Audio Engineer - Dave Vettraino