Photo by Noah van der Veer 

The debut single from Lorelei ‘I Am a Road’ snatches souls like a siren call. Flirting with the boundary between light and dark, the Sydney-based duo conjure a mood of ethereal fragility.

Their new song asks ‘what is beyond night?’ and challenges you to pause, listen and relinquish all concentration — if you zone out, even for a second, you might miss a crucial whispered secret.

‘I Am a Road’ as a final product is cinematic. Its rich soundscape is a community effort – a product of fellow Sydney-siders and Indie alumni Alex Knight (Brightness), Pat McCarthy (City Rose) and Ryan Adamson (Divebell, Hotel) on drums, bass and synth respectively. An orchestra of reverb swells, with each instrument matching the seismic power of the vocals.

Colliding worlds are the basis of Lorelei’s MO. The experiment was started by Claudia Schmidt and Arlen McCarthy – two distinct, and very different artists. Claudia may be a familiar face: she previously formed half of the band Betty & Oswald and was also involved in Brightness. The pair find a middle ground in their sound and deep dive into the depths of dark dream pop.

Within the walls of Sydney’s Parliament Studios, Lorelei have been recording with ARIA-nominated producer, Lachlan Mitchell, who has worked with critically acclaimed artists like The Jezabels. He has been credited for wrangling the band’s diverse range of interests and disparate sounds – the success of which resonates throughout the track’s 3 minute and 32 second emotional playground.

‘I Am a Road’ is a tantalising taste of what’s to come from Lorelei, a duo whose sure-footedness and eclecticism guarantee an interesting trajectory. 

Download or stream “I Am Road” from June 20th.