Philadelphia’s own Autumn Luz is back with a new single – the sultry “Pang.” A somewhat eerie acapella opening leads into Luz’s winking lyrics about longing and yearning. About midway through, that haunting sound is cut with a whimsical outburst from a piano and playful vocals. Yet even then, that undercurrent of darkness remains as a grungy guitar chugs along with that same, increasingly distorted acapella hum. The song shifts from exploring the experience of a playful first love to acknowledging the creeping fear of emotional intimacy and vulnerability.
This is one of Luz’s key strengths – the ability to tug back and forth between sensual jazziness and a shadowier alt rock sensibility. It’s no surprise to hear that her influences include singer-songwriters like Fiona Apple, Poe, and Tracy Bonham. Like them, she’s able to spin yarns of catharsis with music that shifts between soothing and haunting.
“Pang” serves as the lead single for her upcoming EP, Fragments. “These are sharp little pieces of my fragmented sense of self as a complex trauma survivor,” Luz says in a statement. “Each song describes just one element of one of the wildest years of my life, connecting with parts of myself I had ignored for decades, and setting myself free.”
Watch the music video for “Pang” below:
Fragments is due spring of 2024. For more info on its release, follow Autumn Luz on Twitter and Instagram. And don’t forget to stream the song wherever you listen to music! Header image 📷: Zave Smith