ALBUM REVIEW: Lily Lothrop - This Is What I Can Do EP
“allowing Lothrop to pull the curtain back, [“The Dream” gives] the audience a glimpse of her aspirations and the journey she’s on. It’s a very vulnerable place to be and kudos for having the courage to put it on full display for anyone who is listening.”
Prior to listening, I was not aware of the extremely talented, Troy-based Lily Lothrop. Her EP had been passed along by a fellow journalist who thought it’d be up my alley. They were absolutely right. With elements of 90’s and 00’s alternative rock, but with modern appeal, these are five tracks of rock and roll with a tender side that show exactly what Lothrop means with This Is What I Can Do.
Lothrop “comes out swinging,” as she says in the aptly named first song, “Going Down Swinging.” An immediate highlight, the song opens up with acoustic guitar and some atmospheric reverse delay sounds, drums accenting the tune before giving way to a catchy vocal melody. From there, the rest of the band joins and the song really takes off. It ends with a monster fuzzy guitar solo that is simple, but highly effective, matching the well executed balancing act between the edgy and subdued nature of the rest of the track. This one truly leans into some of the early alt-rock sounds which continue into the next highlight, track two.
Titled “Good When You Want It,” this song starts out similarly, but now with clean electric guitar and vocals, then breaking into a short instrumental with the band before vocals rejoin. The track builds the tension with layers while slowly changing the song form, introducing a prechorus and harmonies that lead to a massive anthem-like chorus that kicks the song into next gear and fully delivers on the musical promises made.
Track three, “Vitamins,” is maybe the most modern-sounding song from a songwriting standpoint. Lothrop brings a lot of pop influence to this track, especially with her vocals. It has all of the hallmarks of a top-40 track, while staying true to her sound and vibe – a completely authentic listening experience with mass music appeal is a hard one to pull off, but she does just that.
The next highlight is track four, “Last Summer Fruit,” which brings something completely different sonically, with the help of an electric piano, cascading vocals, and trumpet that gives an almost jazz-influenced sound you might hear from a Norah Jones record. It’s a really nice change of pace that shows off Lothrop and the band's range. It’s short and sweet at just under three minutes, but it packs a punch without overstaying its welcome, setting the table for the next two tracks which mellow things out.
Track five, “Self Hatred,” is a somber song of self-reflection on insecurities and self-doubts that a lot of people can definitely identify with. Lothrop’s voice is accompanied by piano and acoustic guitar on this one, which adds a layer to the emotional content which peaks out in the end with other vocal layers reinforcing the first lines of the song, “I think nobody likes me because I’m me, but the truth is they don’t like me because I’m mean. I pull them under when they reach out their hand.”
The final track is called, “The Dream,” a full band, singer-songwriter tune. It’s very much driven by Lothrop, with the band painting the space around, and it works really well. It is another somber and reflective song, allowing Lothrop to pull the curtain back, giving the audience a glimpse of her aspirations and the journey she’s on. It’s a very vulnerable place to be and kudos for having the courage to put it on full display for anyone who is listening.
Lily Lothrop’s This Is What I Can Do - EP is now streaming on all major platforms.