After years of creating sounds for her partner Alan Vega to lay vocals over, Liz Lamere finally released her own album in 2022. She did some showcase performances and then began working on her follow-up record. As far as the basic blueprint of how she puts her tracks together and her vocal delivery, she has not strayed far from her first record. But in many ways, I get the impression that she is finding her own way and this record seems more accessible than her first. 

At first, I thought the record was shorter than the first but both releases contain the same number of songs. Part of it may be that the songs on her first release seem a bit denser and more aggressive than the selections on the second. Liz has not gone pop or anything. The songs just seem like they have no chip on their shoulder and flow with an easiness that is pleasing on the ear in a way the first record doesn’t quite capture. In my review of her first record, I noted how the songs had a real cinematic sense of the gritty NYC on display in the films of New York directors like Abel Ferrara and Bill Lustig. The songs on the new record would also work well in a stylish film but seem to have a bit of romance and melancholy not displayed on her first.  

“I feel like I’m evolving creatively and there is a calm confidence/nothing to prove feeling that comes with that,” says Liz. “This one also feels more personal lyrically and gives more  insight into my personality.” 

Fans of the latter Vega records will definitely want to check out both of Liz’s records.  Perhaps the first still has some of the Vega DNA while on the second she lets loose and gives us more of her. Both records are outstanding in different ways. Also, check out her fantastic music videos on YouTube.