Despite its coy title, Laveda‘s latest single “F***” doesn’t leave much to the imagination—The New York-based band are mad as hell. Against a backdrop of drowsy guitars and a buzzy atmosphere, lead singer Ali Genevich croons about heartbreak and disappointment. The stunning track—which is a must-listen for fans of Snail Mail and Soccer Mommy—brings raw, real angst to the forefront. From a lyrical, musical, and emotional standpoint, there’s no room for inauthenticity on “F***.” It’s a track you can dance to; it’s a track you can cry to; it’s a track you can scream to. In short, the song has everything.

Laveda‘s pandemic baby, their debut album What Happens After, allowed the band to introduce themselves with their best foot forward. Their 2020 album is an explosion of sound and concepts that showed what the newcomers were capable of. With single “Surprise” and now “F***,” the two lead releases from forthcoming sophomore record due out in 2023, Laveda is beginning to fuse the poppy influences they explored on their first record with a more gritty, shoegaze-inspired flair. So far, the results show sonic growth and maturity without sacrificing the signature sound that fans have grown to love.

The track begins with Genevich‘s ethereal vocals against expansive guitar, as she sings, “I wanna go crawling in my skin / Faking a smile until it’s hurting / Tied up in a world and I can’t help it / Time will never know what you want.” Suddenly, Joe Taurone throws himself in on the drums and opens up the sound, making room for a head-bobbing drumline that propels the song forward. As the track comes to a close after a explosive guitar solo, Genevich whispers as the song draws to a close, “And I hate you so much / And t’s me who loved you more / And I know it’s too much.” With her inimitable band and co-founding member Jake Brooks jamming by her side, Genevich sounds unstoppable in her pain.

Talking about the inspiration for the track, Genevich explains that the song came from a place of restlessness. In a statement, she explains, “College felt like high school part 2 to me. I thought most people have grown out of the desire to be in cliques and look up to whoever was popular by the age 19, but I realized that some people never do.” She continued, shedding light on some of the themes in the song, “I wished I could make all the bad people disappear so they couldn’t drag down the ones I cared about with them.” Check out their latest single below, and be sure to support Laveda on Bandcamp.

Founded by Ali Genevich and Jake Brooks, Albany’s duo Laveda sounds like your typical 90s dream pop band but high on ecstasy. Simultaneously lo-fi and euphoric, their latest track “Dream. Sleep.” is a melodic rocket directly propelled to a glittering cosmos. Uplifting at first, the massive song actually depicts a bittersweet tableau as it deals with the feeling of being trapped and not fitting in. In their own words:

[su_quote]The lyrics are describing the thoughts of someone who has a dream about being able to make a choice to leave our world and go to some alternate reality. The second pre-chorus is where this character sort-of starts to wake up and realizes its not a dream, it’s real and they are in fact somewhere else. Its about being trapped somewhere you feel like you don’t belong. I wanted to evoke feelings of intense excitement that later (in the end of the second pre-chorus) change to regret and doubt.[/su_quote]

The good news is that Laveda are about to release a full album, and this is not an alternate reality. In the meantime, dream, sleep and, of course, repeat.