Aside from a covers collection and a loose single dedicated to the breathing rose of friendship, it’s been five years since Shannon Lay has released any new material. That’s all set to change this summer when the LA-based songwriter returns with her fifth album Past the Veil, a new frontier for the artist given its “open-handed approach” in the studio with producer Rob Shelton. “I came in with maybe one or two ideas, but for the most part every song was created day-of in the studio,” she shares of the collection, noting how that freedom allowed her to focus on the project’s lyrical bent. “The message became clear, particularly when Trump got elected again: cultivate joy. I wanted to encourage people to grow and change and be kind, because the collective narrative at the moment is that character doesn’t matter and that we’re all against one another.”
On the title track in particular, Lay digs into the sense of change that inspired the record’s sound and message. “I wanted to acknowledge the challenge that comes along with embracing the path of change,” she shares of the new track which sort of sounds like a lounge-y take on Stereolab. “It’s courage incarnate. So with that inevitable upheaval, we also need to celebrate and dance and commemorate victories. We need to not only hold it all, but balance it all. A nearly impossible task until you realize it’s natural for us. We’ve simply forgotten what our superpowers are, and art and community and whatever lights you up is what helps you remember. All the while we must hold each other close while never grasping. It’s the ebb and flow. ‘Past the Veil’ is full of ebbs and flows; it lightens and deepens at every turn, and in the end it reminds us that we really just need to dance and stay hydrated.”
The seeds for Past the Veil were planted in 2024 when Lay connected with producer Shelton at his Alhambra studio Altamira Sound, who helped the songwriter shed her past musical identity and ease into something new. “It was so refreshing having new perspectives for this record,” she shares, having previously soft-launched this new era with the shedding-the-old-conditioning loosie “Mirrors” back in 2024. “Rob has been a great friend and I’ve always admired his musical instincts. [Altamira] is the kind of place that feels like a member of the band, an entity unto itself. It was really special to trust-fall into the people who I’ve grown up with in the LA scene, as well as new friends. Community is the way to go right now. We need to lean on each other and nurture our gifts together.”
Check out the new single below, and pre-order Past the Veil here ahead of its July 28 release via All the Best.
