Setting the tone with textures and plucked guitar with enigmatic chords, we are already hypnotized by LILIE‘s new single something to romanticize.
Delivering elegant and ethereal vocal runs, with a nod to the artist’s heritage, LILIE is the alias of Houston-based recording and claymation artist, and game developer Akash Ali. We love the frequency that LILIE is sharing with the world and their passion for multi-disciplinary artistry.
something to romanticize also come with a cinematic stopmotion music video and the artist’s FIRST 3D first-person multiplayer videogame.
LILIE‘s influences include Summer Walker, Mitski, FKA Twigs, Bright Eyes, SZA, Elliott Smith and Sunny Day Real Estate, but it is clear that the rising artist from Texas is creating a vibe of his own.
Born in southern Florida, LILIE taught himself the piano and guitar, also plays harp, produces, develop videogames, creates claymation.
Speaking on his latest release, LILIE says, “something to romanticize aims to lyrically, visually, and interactively explore the experience of finding relationships that provide some form of stability, but only being able to feel alive and present emotionally if things are overtly damaging, toxic, or tragic in the right ways.”
We have added something to romanticize to our New Music Spotlight playlist and are immersing ourselves further in the world of LILIE.
The videogame is a 3D first-person multiplayer exploratory game where you will traverse through obstacles (ie a maze of water) and find ways to unlock doors to proceed.
It was approached as a virtual installation art piece connected to the single aiming to visually and immersively represent not only the sonics characteristics of “something to romanticize”, but also to bring with it an eerie and personal environment, littered with message excerpts he’s received over the years, creating an environment from the song’s concept whether it be through the somberness of the winter home level or the isolation felt upon arrival in the first room.
The narrative is that the player is in a dream, wandering through the surreal environments– hence the title “a dream I’ve had (STR)”.
The game will also contain a Musicbox Instrumental version and Remixed version of something to romanticize.