Lydia Loveless has surprised fans with the release of Something Else, a piano ballad reimagining of their critically acclaimed 2014 album Somewhere Else. Released through Bloodshot Records, this new version marks the 10th anniversary of Somewhere Else and highlights Loveless’s distinctive talent for storytelling, delivered with sharp wit and raw honesty through their expressive vocals. The original album received widespread acclaim from outlets such as NPR Music, Pitchfork, and Rolling Stone, cementing Loveless’s reputation as a powerful voice in contemporary music. You can stream or purchase Something Else here.
Loveless began working on Something Else last spring following their west coast tour for the 2023 album Nothing’s Gonna Stand In My Way Again, which earned accolades such as NPR Music’s ‘Best Songs of 2023’ and Rolling Stone’s ‘Best Indie-Rock Albums of 2023’. The project was paused due to illness and other challenges, but Loveless later revisited old journals to reconnect with their younger self and the emotions that inspired the original album. Reflecting on this journey in the new liner notes, Loveless wrote:
“I discovered a lot of very tiny, practically illegible scribbles by a very angry person who seemed to hate themselves and everyone around them… I was walled in by fears and worries that I would never be good enough… Somewhere Else was completed.”
The new arrangements for Something Else were recorded at Secret Studio in Columbus, OH, with engineers Caeleigh Featherstone and Keith Hanlon, who also co-produced the album alongside Loveless. The project features contributions from Jason Isbell (vocals on “Somewhere Else”), John Calvin Abney (vocals on “Wine Lips” and co-arranger on “Wine Lips” and “Verlaine Shot Rimbaud”), and Katie Harriman (vocals on “Verlaine Shot Rimbaud”).
Praise for Somewhere Else:
Rolling Stone: “Sounds Like: Loretta Lynn and Patti Smith slamming shots at a Midwestern dive bar while cowboys and punks brawl out back… her breakout album Somewhere Else is an aching, lusty set of twang and sneer wrapped in electric guitar swagger.”
Pitchfork: “…both a bracing and a deeply harrowing listen.”
NPR Music: “Plenty of songs here stand alone, invoking no one but Loveless.”
Aquarium Drunkard: “A record that turns archetypes inside out to examine the flawed human mentality behind the songs… thoughtful and powerful looks at life’s most essential interactions.”
Paste: “…an album of blood and guts and emotions—anger and yearning and lust—that are so honest and immediate that they beg to be shared.”
Under the Radar: “Suffice it to say that with this album, Loveless has created her masterpiece.”
SPIN: “Loveless’ emotional honesty and lithe genre-melding are indeed singular.”
Chicago Tribune: “The narratives—conflating desire and love, rage and need, tears and guns—reflect a complexity that gives these songs staying power.”
