Song of the Day: LAKE - Turn Around

Every Monday through Friday, we deliver a different song as part of our Song of the day podcast subscription. This podcast features exclusive KEXP in-studio performances, unreleased songs, and recordings from independent artists that our DJ’s think you should hear. Today’s song, featured on the Morning Show with John Richards, is “Turn Around” by Olympia indie-pop act LAKE, from their 2017 album, Forever or Never, on Tapete Records.

LAKE - Turn Around (MP3)LAKE has been an institution in the Northwest music scene for over a decade now. They've hit all the marks to qualify for that title: putting out albums on K Records, stowed themselves away in the woods of Whidbey Island, and recorded their latest record at The Unknown, the Anacortes studio of Phil Elverum (The Microphones/Mount Eerie). However, their commitment to the region isn't the only selling point with LAKE. They've consistently reconstructed the poppy, jazzy sounds of the bygone 1970s into something that feels vital and vibrant in the modern era. Speaking of the "modern era", these times can be hectic, to say the least. Much of the songwriting on Forever or Never centered on the idea of living in hostility and asking philosophical questions about religion and culture.

As the opener to the record, "Turn Around" introduces a more poised version of LAKE. The guitars softly chime in over muffled shakers and a sparse drum beat. Bursts of reverb come in alongside hushed keyboard flutters. Vocalist Eli Moore barely inflects his voice, drawing the listener in to pay closer attention to every word. For as quiet and subdued the song may feel, on closer inspection it's a dense work filled with sonic Easter eggs to be revealed.

LAKE will open tonight for The Helio Sequence at the Tractor Tavern at 8 PM. Tickets are available here. You can find out more about LAKE on their website and Facebook page. For now, revisit their in-studio performance below.