To hear Natalie Lew tell it, her latest EP—and debut for Luminelle Recordings—as Sea Lemon is a dark and heavy examination of any and all “unhealthy obsessions” we encounter on a daily basis, both on and off social media. Yet that premise is hard to keep in mind when wading into the five tracks that make up Stop at Nothing, which all float high about the grungy legacy of her native Seattle, instead inhabiting the stratospheric heights of dream-pop. It can even be hard to make out the lyrics as they tend to merge with the contemplative, reverb-heavy guitars.
The third and final single landing ahead of the EP’s release this Friday is no different—in fact “Breakdown” perhaps best demonstrates the paradox of Lew’s excessively introspective agenda, as she’s joined by Day Wave’s Jackson Phillips on the track. “‘Breakdown’ was written by Jackson and myself the first day we started recording together,” she recalls, going so far as to say that the collaboration seemed to help express the song’s themes. “It came out pretty naturally, especially lyrically.”
The ebb and flow of the hazy, reverb-soaked duet matches those lyrics’ focus on contemplating both sides of an important decision regarding a personal relationship. According to Lew, “The song is a campy story all about the aftermath after being wronged by someone where you’re trying to figure out if you should forgive and forget or seek revenge.”
Check out a lyric video for the track below, and pre-order Stop at Nothing here.
