The cover image for Lorelei K’s single “Gucci Doom.”
Photo: Idol Records
An unswerving command of mood is a key ingredient to the music of Dallas-based dream-pop band Lorelei K.
For fresh proof of this fact, look no further than the title track from the band’s forthcoming LP Gucci Doom, for which the band has crafted a gorgeous video KXT is premiering below.
“This song’s lyrics are very autobiographical to me,” Lorelei K frontwoman Dahlia Knowles said via email. “Opening with ‘My body is a museum/Who I am/And who I’ve been’ just feels like an overarching artist statement that rings true time and time again for me. … The song is about navigating the world in a strange body, exploring sex and shame and empowerment and being at war with old gods. There’s a dreamlike, mythical feel to all of these songs, for sure.”
Directed and edited by Kat Broyles and Cesar Velasco, with cinematography from Nico Paprota, the clip for “Gucci Doom” “flowed effortlessly” according to Knowles.
“We brought this sexy, vibey track to them with the concept of making a dark, film noir-meets-modern adult cinema moment,” Knowles said via email. “We wanted to feature [bandmate] Michael [Briggs] and I’s performance dynamic, especially because this song was one of our favorites to perform during the duo tours we went on last year, supporting the band Princess Goes to the Butterfly Museum.
“I also wanted footage on a motorcycle and with hot models. Cesar and Kat really brought the idea to life and made shooting really seamless. I loved working with them.”
This track is the third single from the forthcoming LP, which arrives July 7 via Idol Records. Lorelei K will celebrate the record’s release with a performance at the Kessler Theater on July 8.
“We’ll be featuring really very extremely beautiful dancers for the very first time, as well as some of the remixes off the record in the set list,” Knowles said, via email, of the Kessler gig. “We’re also going to be joined by Claire Morales, one of my favorite writers and performers in DFW. New and exclusive merch pieces will also be available for the first time.”
Gucci Doom, arriving roughly a year after Lorelei K’s last studio effort, Swimming Pool Eternity, marks a shift back into “pop mode,” as Knowles describes it. Even so, there’s an undeniable moodiness laid against the glossy atmospherics, a juxtaposition of which Knowles and her bandmates are fond.
“Gucci Doom … is introspective and cerebral, but also glamorous and sexy,” Knowles said via email. “We love big atmospheric sounds and compositions, paired with total bummer lyrics. I was really manic when I wrote a lot of Gucci Doom, which explains the impulsivity, the recklessness, the relentless soul bearing of these particular songs.
“I wrote about living in Dallas, about being trans and dating straight men, about partying and trauma and negative coping mechanisms. It’s Biblical and tragic when you listen to the words, but the tracks maintain their integrity of being beautiful and very dream-pop.”
You can pre-save “Gucci Doom” on streaming services here.
Lorelei K Gucci Doom release concert at Kessler Theater, Dallas. 8 p.m. July 8. Tickets are $22-$320.
Preston Jones is a North Texas freelance writer and regular contributor to KXT. Email him at [email protected] or find him on Twitter (@prestonjones). Our work is made possible by our generous, music-loving members. If you like how we lift up local music, consider becoming a KXT sustaining member right here.
