There’s an unmistakable urgency you can feel when a song is written and performed from a place of complete honesty. That feeling permeates singer-songwriter Juliet Lloyd’s new album, Carnival (due out October 25th).
The album is Juliet’s first full-length effort since 2007. Shortly after releasing her sophomore album that year, she walked away from music completely for more than 10 years, feeling burned out and unhappy with her career progression like so many other independent artists. After going through a divorce in 2019 and in the midst of a global pandemic, she found herself pulled back toward the siren call of songwriting and again making the leap to pursue it full time. Carnival is in many ways the culmination of those decisions, and the reintroduction of an artist who now has the wisdom of experience.
Recorded in an unhurried process over nearly 15 months and produced by Todd Wright (Lucy Woodward, Butch Walker, Toby Lightman), Carnival’s nine songs are a study in contrasts. Light and dark, devastating and self-deprecating, apologetic and angry, conversational and conceptual. They are genre-fluid, weaving elements of pop, folk, soul, and rock to create a vibrant and often unexpected platform for Juliet’s unflinching storytelling.
The central theme of Carnival and that of its title track is not being too precious about any one experience or decision. Take them for what they are, live in the moment, and move on when they’re done. It acknowledges also that memory can be subjective, and ambiguous—was an experience ultimately a good thing or a bad thing? And whose memory can you rely on to determine the answer to that question?
Taken together, Carnival’s nine songs feature evocative storytelling that reveals a simple truth: when the carnival inevitably leaves town, you’re left with an empty parking lot. And how you remember it is a choice. As Juliet sings in the title track, “If only there was a way you could bottle up that feeling / and you’d drink it in / when the days are short and you long.”
Today Glide is offering a premiere of Carnival’s anthemic opener, “Wallflower,” which draws directly on Juliet’s relatable experiences as an introvert in the music industry. In it, she reassures fellow introverts that it’s okay to “disappear in the spaces between, and hide all your brilliant color in cracks, they have to know where to look to be seen.” But like nearly every song on the album, it’s tinged with a bit of cynicism: “the dance ain’t as cool as it seems.” These ideas also translate to the music, which brings a 90s-style alt-rock sound together with a pop sensibility. There is also a soulful Americana element to the tune brought to life by simple and occasionally twanging guitar, rich organ, and background vocals. At the center is Juliet’s voice, perfectly suited for conveying the emotion and depth of the lyrics while being infectious and radio-friendly. Indeed, this is exactly the kind of song that would have been a hit on 90s radio and it marks a welcome return for a talented artist.
Juliet Lloyd describes the inspiration behind the tune:
“I am an introvert, and often feel more comfortable on stage performing than off of it. I went to a songwriter festival in Texas in May of this year and spent the weekend surrounded by other songwriters—with literally zero time to myself to process and recharge. We were sleeping in bunk houses, so I was in a room with three other songwriters. They were all incredibly lovely people, but for an introvert, it doesn’t matter. I need my alone time, and there was none to be found. In the evening we’d have these song circles where everyone passes the guitar around and sings, and I just knew that there’d be photos taken and posted on social media and I’d be in them, but I’d be in the very background, pretending to be having a good time and secretly wanting to be someplace else. I had a conversation with another introverted writer the last afternoon before we left, and we traded notes about feeling overwhelmed at these things and needing time away from the group. On my flight home, I was listening to a podcast when the word “wallflower” jumped out. I pulled out my laptop and immediately started jotting down my experiences of the weekend. I wanted the song to be an anthem of sorts for my fellow introverts-–it’s okay to not thrive in a crowd, to be at your best one-on-one. I brought my mostly finished version of the song to Todd Wright, my producer, and he helped me finish it. One critical edit was that my original lyrics were 100 percent earnest and hopeful, but Todd helped me add some of the darkness/cynicism that he knows exists in my brain to it (e.g., the lines “I know you hate it” and “the dance ain’t as cool as it seems”), to make it more true to my experience. The first time I played this song live, I asked the crowd to raise their hands if they were my fellow introverts…and of course, no one raised them. I should have known that we prefer to blend in, not call attention to ourselves.”
LISTEN:
