Lowly
Keep Up the Good Work
BELLA UNION
Denmark’s Lowly have often expressed how much they’ve grown together over the past eight years as a collective, claiming that since they’re all so close, they really understand what each other is going through. Keep Up the Good Work, their third record in nearly a decade, is the embodiment of those shared experiences and conversations, exhibiting a seamless connection between creatives. The album sends a message to their listeners telling them that sometimes all we need is support from those we care about to keep us going. Good Work is an album about embracing those who show us love, while also showing the struggles that often come with change.
The record’s main theme focuses on the four seasons and how they represent different periods of existence. On “Feel Someone,” vocalist Nanna Schannong sings about feeling closer to someone after they die, and how, in a way, we’re all searching for that kind of connection. While this seems like a song about death and the futility of that search, it’s also about how friendships and relationships can die while still remaining a part of you. It’s an idea that everyone can relate to—physical loss while still searching to feel that person in your life. Elsewhere, “Seasons” brings out the same emotions of bittersweetness and change. “The sun drags the seasons,” Schannong sings, explaining that change is inevitable and comes regardless.
The main impact of Lowly’s songwriting on Keep Up the Good Work lies in its relatability. On “Took a Day Off Feeling Sad,” they explain their fears and sadness, describing trying to get out of this state of depression—trying to move on with life, trying to enter a new season. Hence the album’s title, a reminder that despite all the pain and hardships we experience, there are people who will be there to remind us to keep going. On the title track they affirm all of their listeners as they act as the voice we sometimes struggle to hear. Powerful in its simplicity, Good Work functions as a reminder that while things can get tough, change is inevitable. Maybe that’s a good thing, and maybe it’s scary, but as long as we have people who love us around to support us, we’ll persevere.
