London-based creative and musician Lou Hayter teases fans this week, by announcing details of her upcoming second studio album, ‘Unfamiliar Skin’.
Scheduled to drop later in the year, the record will include previous single releases ‘Stop The Rain’ and ‘Frequency’ (which received widespread support from the likes of Tom Ravenscroft, Nemone and Gilles Peterson at BBC 6Music) as well as the superstar DJ’s latest track, ‘In My Heart’ – a simmering, 80’s inspired, disco anthem that lyrically deals with the demise of a relationship.
“I love ‘In My Heart’ because the horn parts in it are like a surprise to the ears,” Hayter says of the single. “It was exciting to make it because I didn’t know where it was going myself and it took on a life of its own.”
“Lyrically it belongs in my series of what my brother calls ‘bad boyfriend’ songs. After I made it it made me think of ‘West End Girls’ which is one of my favourite songs and feels very fresh again at the moment”.
Watch the official visualiser for ‘In My Heart’ – directed by fellow musician (The Horrors) and in-demand director, Tom Furse (Stevie Nicks, HAAi, Charles Jeffrey) – below:
Now signed to Greco-Roman, and with the arrival of her second studio album imminent, Lou step into new territory as the sole writer, producer and performer of the project.
Her signature sound brims with the hallmarks of an “expansive record collection” and a DJ’s knowledge: modern electro soul, 80’s R&B, colourful electronics and knowing nods to New York disco and proto-house shine throughout her work.
Commenting on the LP, Hayter says via a press release: “I’m really excited to be releasing my second album ‘Unfamiliar Skin’. It’s a very personal album to me because I produced, performed and wrote it myself. It felt important for me to do this as only a small percentage of producers are women so I set myself the challenge.”
“The title reflects the new feeling of this role but also has a dual meaning about why the enticing pull of the unfamiliar in relationships can lead to affairs, that’s what the title track is about. I stepped away from my first album a little bit sonically and took inspiration from space-age r&b in the early 2000’s, the sound of Compass Point studios and electronic soul were also a huge influence for me.”
“I have a magpie approach to music in that I’m always looking for something I haven’t heard before that is shiny and exciting to my ears: if it doesn’t have magic in it I won’t use it. I made my own world in this record, I’m proud of it and I think it sounds quite unique”.
Download / stream ‘In My Heart’ here