conversations with myself about you

On “loneliness for love”, the lead single from lovelytheband’s second LP, vocalist/guitarist Mitchy Collins looks for happiness in all the wrong places. Collins' inner struggles are as prevalent as they were when the LA trio released their 2018 breakthrough debut LP <i>Finding It Hard to Smile</i>, which featured their mental health anthem "Broken". But even at his lowest, Collins keeps the tunes fun and danceable. His lack of hope is palpable on both “waste” and “flowers (on my grave)”, navigating a minefield of emotional turmoil as he and his bandmates tap into a glossy, '80s-leaning New Wave sound. Over the sleek, bouncy guitars of “idwgtyp” (“I don’t want to go to your party”), he’s a little warier about not falling into the same traps: “An open bar don’t mean an open heart.”