Truth, virtue, authenticity—there are many words for a certain highly regarded sense of being. And discovering whether or not any of them are actually attainable is a lifelong quest. This is the kind of work Chicago-based musician Lillie West, a.k.a Lala Lala, is most concerned with on her upcoming album I Want the Door to Open. She already showed this dedication with the lead single “DIVER,” where she flipped the Sisyphean tale to her philosophical advantage. Then the search for blue-tinged resolve was showcased on the follow-up “Color of the Pool,” and she continues that desire for greater purpose on her latest track “Prove It.”
This third single is the subtlest sounding of the three tracks Lala Lala has released from the new album, but the heart of it potently contends with our current struggle to grip reality. Blunt guitar strums introduce West as she confronts others who get swept up in another’s fantastical representation of themselves. “Doesn’t mean that much to me,” she calmly sings with a slight raspiness. “Living like you’re on a screen / I’m looking for the real, real thing.” The track slowly accumulates layers of swanky bongos and lower-pitched backing vocals as Lala Lala walks the unstable road toward something uncontrived.
For decades now screens have tried to get the better of us. They seduced us into another realm, for some a completely different reality depending on what you qualify as reality. “Prove it” poetically maintains Lala Lala’s determination for an alternative path, and she knows it will not be easy. In a press release, West described “Prove It” as “a song about insatiable people and the idea of ‘good’ vs. ‘bad.’ It’s about lack of control. Even though this song is accusatory, I relate to the person I’m talking to. I think sometimes when we criticize other people we’re also talking about ourselves.”
Hear it below and pre-order her forthcoming album here.
