In our cover story with Sharon Van Etten we published earlier this year, the songwriter was eager to tell us about bonding with her band The Attachment Theory via outings to goth-rock concerts and leaning into the mutual influence of new wave music. It may come as no surprise, then, that the new album from the project’s backing vocalist and multi-instrumentalist Teeny Lieberson—a.k.a. Lou Tides—mines territory between the upbeat vintage synth music of New Order and more contemporary EBM sounds, while Lieberson’s vocals soar over the pounding beats in a manner that isn’t dissimilar to Van Etten’s commanding voice.
“Map Maker,” the second single from her forthcoming record Autostatic!, pairs a relentless club instrumental with lyrics central to the LP’s theme of newfound sobriety and clear-mindedness. “To have a relationship with yourself that is truthful, it requires actually caring about yourself,” Lieberson shares. “I spent so many years drinking away that care, utilizing the only coping mechanisms I thought were available to me. Mistaking punishment for expansion. ‘Map Maker’ is about looking at my choices—some inherited, some familial—and trying to rip open my understanding of love.”
Check out a video for the track below, and pre-save Autostatic! here.
