Alex Lahey
The Best of Luck Club
Album · Indie Rock · 2019
Much of Alex Lahey’s second album was written during an intense two-week writing period in Nashville. “I took a couple weeks off between tours,” the Melbourne songwriter tells Apple Music. “I quite literally locked myself in a room and wrote every single day, as I would with a normal job.” Lahey’s job may not be “normal”, but the themes of her album—such as relationships, love, heartbreak, frustration and acceptance—certainly are, and that’s what makes her songs so relatable. She talks through the stories behind each track on The Best of Luck Club.
“I Don’t Get Invited to Parties Anymore” “Initially it was about being away from home a lot, and people assuming you’re always away and that the answer will always be no, so they stop inviting you to things. But it became more specific about someone I was very close with in high school. We’re still close, but that relationship has changed over time. It doesn't mean that they're any less important, but it changes as we grow older, and we need to accept that.”
“Am I Doing It Right?” “A couple of years ago I realised that I was able to pursue a career out of something that I’d always wanted to do. But as wonderful as that is, there’s a level of fear that you have to push aside or you can't move forward. This song is about the times when that fear slaps you in the face, and trying to navigate your way out of that.”
“Interior Demeanour” “I was in a relationship that broke down in a really turbulent way, and I found myself feeling really sad about it. It wasn’t the first time I'd experienced a relationship breaking down, so I knew it’d feel shit for a while and would eventually get okay. But I decided to find a psychologist, which I’d never done before. I just wanted to talk to someone and seek advice about moving forward, and I'm really, really glad I did. It opened my eyes up to a whole new style of communicating.”
“Don’t Be So Hard on Yourself” “I wrote this song for my partner, who works extremely hard and is very diligent and motivated, and wants to succeed—and does—which is brilliant. But just because you're kicking goals doesn't mean that you're not being self-critical. I’m saying, give yourself a break when things are going okay and you're doing the best that you can. It's funny, she recently said it to me over the phone: ‘Don't be so hard on yourself.’ Maybe I was projecting a bit while I was writing this.”
“Unspoken History” “I think it’s one of the best songs that I've ever written. I was sitting in that room in Nashville from nine in the morning until 2:30 in the afternoon, and nothing had happened. Then suddenly it just fell out of my head and I had it written within 40 minutes. It was a really beautiful, organic experience. It’s about those relationships where you expect someone to give you something, to be a certain person for you. And sometimes they can’t, for whatever reason. This song is about acknowledging that something is never going to be the way that you want it to be, but being understanding enough to allow it.”
“Misery Guts” “I was on tour last year and I was just really tired, and over being away, and I was feeling overwhelmed by people giving unsolicited advice. It can be helpful and beneficial, but when you're really tired, it's not the time. It’s like, ‘Read the room.’”
“Isabella” “I wrote this on a dare! Someone told me that there is a vibrator called ‘Izzy’ and that I should write a song about it. So I decided to turn Izzy into a person named Isabella. If Izzy was a human being, I think Izzy would be a very strong and capable independent woman. She'd be everyone's best friend, and up for anything. And a lot of fun to be around.”
“I Need to Move On” “There’s that period after a break-up when you’re like, 'You know what, I'm going to have a great fucking time, I've got my freedom back, I'm going to meet people and stay out late.' But really, you're not ready for it. So this song is about puffing out your chest and trying to say that I’m going to move on and have a good time, but realising you’re not ready. I think it's actually good to sit and wallow and not rush things.”
“Black RMs” “I was listening to a lot of Sheryl Crow when I wrote this one. I had the flu, my partner was overseas at the time, and I wrote the song very quickly. I think people get really freaked out about being comfortable in relationships, as if that means it’s boring. It doesn’t. You can be comfortable without being complacent. There's so much beauty in the calm. I wanted to celebrate that.”
“I Want to Live with You” “I wrote this at my partner's house. She’d gone to work; we weren't living together at the time—we are now. It’s about wanting to take the next step, and wanting to make something your own with someone else. It’s a nice little sentimental tune.”
“I Don’t Get Invited to Parties Anymore” “Initially it was about being away from home a lot, and people assuming you’re always away and that the answer will always be no, so they stop inviting you to things. But it became more specific about someone I was very close with in high school. We’re still close, but that relationship has changed over time. It doesn't mean that they're any less important, but it changes as we grow older, and we need to accept that.”
“Am I Doing It Right?” “A couple of years ago I realised that I was able to pursue a career out of something that I’d always wanted to do. But as wonderful as that is, there’s a level of fear that you have to push aside or you can't move forward. This song is about the times when that fear slaps you in the face, and trying to navigate your way out of that.”
“Interior Demeanour” “I was in a relationship that broke down in a really turbulent way, and I found myself feeling really sad about it. It wasn’t the first time I'd experienced a relationship breaking down, so I knew it’d feel shit for a while and would eventually get okay. But I decided to find a psychologist, which I’d never done before. I just wanted to talk to someone and seek advice about moving forward, and I'm really, really glad I did. It opened my eyes up to a whole new style of communicating.”
“Don’t Be So Hard on Yourself” “I wrote this song for my partner, who works extremely hard and is very diligent and motivated, and wants to succeed—and does—which is brilliant. But just because you're kicking goals doesn't mean that you're not being self-critical. I’m saying, give yourself a break when things are going okay and you're doing the best that you can. It's funny, she recently said it to me over the phone: ‘Don't be so hard on yourself.’ Maybe I was projecting a bit while I was writing this.”
“Unspoken History” “I think it’s one of the best songs that I've ever written. I was sitting in that room in Nashville from nine in the morning until 2:30 in the afternoon, and nothing had happened. Then suddenly it just fell out of my head and I had it written within 40 minutes. It was a really beautiful, organic experience. It’s about those relationships where you expect someone to give you something, to be a certain person for you. And sometimes they can’t, for whatever reason. This song is about acknowledging that something is never going to be the way that you want it to be, but being understanding enough to allow it.”
“Misery Guts” “I was on tour last year and I was just really tired, and over being away, and I was feeling overwhelmed by people giving unsolicited advice. It can be helpful and beneficial, but when you're really tired, it's not the time. It’s like, ‘Read the room.’”
“Isabella” “I wrote this on a dare! Someone told me that there is a vibrator called ‘Izzy’ and that I should write a song about it. So I decided to turn Izzy into a person named Isabella. If Izzy was a human being, I think Izzy would be a very strong and capable independent woman. She'd be everyone's best friend, and up for anything. And a lot of fun to be around.”
“I Need to Move On” “There’s that period after a break-up when you’re like, 'You know what, I'm going to have a great fucking time, I've got my freedom back, I'm going to meet people and stay out late.' But really, you're not ready for it. So this song is about puffing out your chest and trying to say that I’m going to move on and have a good time, but realising you’re not ready. I think it's actually good to sit and wallow and not rush things.”
“Black RMs” “I was listening to a lot of Sheryl Crow when I wrote this one. I had the flu, my partner was overseas at the time, and I wrote the song very quickly. I think people get really freaked out about being comfortable in relationships, as if that means it’s boring. It doesn’t. You can be comfortable without being complacent. There's so much beauty in the calm. I wanted to celebrate that.”
“I Want to Live with You” “I wrote this at my partner's house. She’d gone to work; we weren't living together at the time—we are now. It’s about wanting to take the next step, and wanting to make something your own with someone else. It’s a nice little sentimental tune.”