My Idea came together as a result of Lily Konigsberg deciding who should produce her debut solo album. Recruiting Nate Amos, who makes music as one half of Water From Your Eyes, the two became fast friends and their collaboration turned into an outpouring of punchy, experimental pop compositions. They shared a five-track EP called That's My Idea last year, and have been releasing tracks leading up to their debut album Cry Mfer for months. Today is the glorious day that we get to hear all the succinct, endearing songs on that LP.
The bright, inviting production on Mfer turns disarmingly candid as meditations on crying, falling into darkness, and relying on others with every cell of one's being pour out of Konigsberg's mouth. A bubbly concoction of guitar-forward pop tunes, these 13 tracks (and two bonus cuts) are noodling, undeniable hits. "Sorry that you're my crutch / And for the pain that comes with us," Konigsberg sings with an airy ease on the upbeat crunch of "Crutch." Later, observations of others become self-revelations. Over a sunny, finger-plucked guitar on "Yr a Blur," Konigsberg sings, "You're a mess I can recognize / You're crazy so I love ya."
My Idea imbue tender and emotional moments with specks of humor. "You're a blur because there's water in my eyes," goes the chorus on one of the album's many emotional highs. Elsewhere, Konigsberg literally burps during "Lily's Phone" and loses track of timing between giggles on "Not Afraid Anymore." Whether it's life's onerous routine or interrogating the instinct to rely heavily on another person, My Idea transform thoughts and observations into immediately transfixing tunes.
Listen to Cry Mfer below, and read on for the duo's track by track breakdown.
1. "Cry Mfer"
“Cry Mfer” just kind of slipped out. We made it in Lily’s room with help from a cat named Donny. This was the moment that we knew the existence of a Nate and Lily band was inevitable.
2. "Crutch"
“Crutch” was written very quickly on a particularly tumultuous day about a month after we met and began working together. Some have told us that this track is a “co-dependency anthem.”
3. "Baby I'm the Man"
One night we discovered that we had a shared love of Elliott Smith. We thought it would be funny to write an Elliott Smith song that was way too macho for him to pull off. Our friend Ani added keyboards while we were working on “Cry Mfer” (the song).
4. "Lily's Phone"
“Lily’s Phone” was inspired by Lily’s voicemail and was originally a demo about our friend Nina’s dog, Billy. We spent a day revising and re-recording the vocals, but ended up leaving the instrumental in demo form to maintain the vibe.
5. "Breathe You"
We wrote and recorded “Breathe You” in November 2020 and almost immediately cut it from the list of potential songs for the album. A couple months later Nate’s friend in Chicago asked why it wasn’t included, so we threw it back on and now it’s a single. Life is weird!
6. "Not Afraid Anymore"
This song was written for a cat named Gianni! We kept the very first vocal take; it isn’t perfect, but the energy felt right.
7. "Yea"
We wrote and recorded “Yea” in one day. We had been trying to write without much success for a while, and were both surprised at how much we liked this one. When it was finished we both said “yea.”
8. "One Tree Hell" (feat. thanks for coming)
“One Tree Hell” was inspired by the show One Tree Hill. We asked our friend Rachel Brown (a.k.a. thanks for coming) to feature on the song because of the extreme contrast between their voice and Lily’s. We loved the result so much that we continued to feature Rachel on “I Can’t Dance” and “Stay Away Still,” both from last summer’s That’s My Idea EP.
9. "I Can't Dance Part 2"
This song was written in September 2020 in the midst of a sort of songwriting competition that we had fallen into. Lily got really jealous and refused to sing it, so the original vocals remain.
10. "Pretty You"
“Pretty You” was the first song we wrote using a technique where Nate writes trash-quality lyrics as quickly as possible with the intention of Lily editing them almost to the point of total transformation. It worked really well, and we still write that way sometimes.
11. "I Should Have Generated You"
Out of the first eight tracks we wrote together, this is the only one that made the album (or the EP). It’s not because the others aren’t good (most of them are great), they just don’t really fit into the final form of the project. Maybe one day the rest will be released (fun fact: at one point, Cry Mfer was 38 tracks and 79 minutes long). This is the first of three songs that function as a little pop triptych at the end of the main album.
12. "Popstar"
“Popstar” was an attempt to meld ’80s and ’90s pop instrumental cliches. We don’t know if it worked, but we like the song! This is one of the earliest-made songs to make the album. Song two of the pop triptych.
13. "Yr a Blur"
Last song of the album and the closing triptych. “Yr a Blur” is another trash-lyric song like “Pretty You.” We were definitely making fun of Fleetwood Mac (out of love and appreciation). When we made this it was pretty clear we had our closer, even though the bulk of the album had yet to be written.
14. "Ouch (Cry Mfer)" [digital bonus track]
“Ouch (Cry Mfer)” is an alternate version of “Cry Mfer” that Nate made because that’s something he does.
15. “Breathe You”(BEAT VERSION) [digital bonus track]
This is just “Breathe You” but with Lily’s part removed so that anyone can write a verse. It’s like a game—play it if you dare. Great for parties!
