London Grammar gave an exciting live performance on BBC2 last night (October 3rd), days after announcing a new album and its respective tracklisting. The group took centre stage on Jools Holland…Later, delivering a dreamy performance of Baby It’s You.
Bathed in a deep red hue, the indie-pop trio stood in a triangle formation, whilst singer Hannah Reid’s ethereal vocals filled the room. Reid sings the track’s poetic opening verse, “All these lights are changing/See them everywhere/In my veins like lightning/I don’t even care”, enveloping the huge venue in the sound of London Grammar. Receiving over 14,000 views on the BBC Music YouTube channel, the performance can be watched in full here.
London Grammar premiered Baby It’s You on August 19th. Since then, London Grammar has announced that Californian Soil, their third studio album, is on the way. Californian Soil can be preordered here.
Scheduled for release on February 12th, 2021, Californian Soil will be a twelve track record. On October 1st, London Grammar premiered the album’s mystifying title track to the world. Speaking out on the emotive song, frontwoman Hannah Reid says that the track was a “turning point” for them “as a band.”
Reid maintains that Californian Soil is about her “gaining possession” of her livelihood as a woman in the music business. This thesis is certainly a personal one for Reid, who herself has experienced misogyny within the male-dominated industry.
In a statement, Reid said that “Misogyny is primitive, which is why it is so hard to change. But it is also fearful. It’s about rejecting the thing in yourself which is vulnerable or feminine. Yet everybody has that thing.”
Reid elaborated on this in the courageous statement, saying “This record is about gaining possession of my own life. You imagine success will be amazing. Then you see it from the inside and ask, ‘Why am I not controlling this thing? Why am I not allowed to be in control of it? And does that connect, in any way to being a woman? If so, how can I do that differently?’”
In a post to Instagram on Friday (October 2nd), London Grammar shared the cover art to the upcoming Californian Soil fo the first time. In the personal caption, Reid wrote: “For our new album Californian Soil, I tried to channel my own personal chaos into something positive and powerful.” Obtaining over 15,000 likes, the post was a big hit amongst London Grammar fans.
Last week, London Grammar performed for BBC Radio 1 in part of their Live Lounge Month instalment. The trio covered Blinding Lights by The Weeknd, from his latest album, After Hours. Offering a tranquil, low tempo version of the track, the performance can be watched here.
The full tracklisting for Californian Soil can be found below:
1. Intro
2. Californian Soil
3. Missing
4. Lose Your Head
5. Lord It’s A Feeling
6. How Does It Feel
7. Baby It’s You
8. Call Your Friends
9. All My Love
10. Talking
11. I Need The Night
12. America
