Parody of Pleasure artwork Lydia Night has announced her debut solo album, ‘Parody of Pleasure’ will be released on August 8, via Warner Records. ‘Parody of Pleasure’ is an unabashed and uninhibited embrace of the pop genre that was so formative to Night. “As a kid I was obsessed with punk because of my dad, but when I got older my mom introduced me to the pop music that stuck with me forever and inspired a lot of this record, like Gwen Stefani and Madonna and Britney Spears,” Night’s songwriting gives language to the multilayered experience of women in the modern era, with unguarded honesty and the self-awareness and humor that’s been a trademark of her work since she founded The Regrettes at age 15. “Some of these songs make me want to cry, other songs make me want to dance; overall they fill whatever space I need them to.” says Night. Preorder Parody of Pleasure on all formats here. Night today also shares her sultry new single ‘Gutter,’ a gorgeously warped art-pop song – fueled by Night’s hypnotic vocal work and cheeky lyrics (“Your lips look like cherries, your touch feels like butter/I’m feeling like Prince, I wanna be your lover”). “I was listening to a lot of Gorillaz when Alexis and I wrote Gutter. It was summer in New York – things were hot and sweaty, and I was obsessed with a girl. I had the kind of crush where I would hear her in every song, smell her on every corner. It was visceral. I wanted any piece of her I could get. Sounds creepy but in like a fun, hot, gay way, I swear. We started this song as a bit of a joke since I was so far gone over someone that I had known for a couple of weeks. It was silly so we made it silly. I love that you can still hear the playfulness in the track even though it’s sensual.” Listen to ‘Gutter’ here, and watch the music video, which she co-directed with Ramisha Sattar, who created all the visuals for Chappell Roan’s The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess, here. ’Gutter’ follows two recent singles by Lydia ‘The Hearse’ and ‘Pity Party‘ a selection of songs that capture the broad influences and untapped dimensions of her vast musicality. Mainly produced by Alexis Kesselman (a New York City-based producer/songwriter whose credits include Suki Waterhouse and Joji), Parody of Pleasure came to life at Kesselman’s studio in her Hell’s Kitchen apartment. “I’d never worked with a female producer before, and it was game-changing for me,” says Night, who first linked up with Kesselman at a songwriting camp in Las Vegas in 2023. “We had so much fun and there was absolutely no judgment from her—I felt a level of safety and comfort that allowed me to be my most authentic self.” Over the course of its 13 tracks, ‘Parody of Pleasure’ reveals the multitudes contained within Night, from subversive humor to raw sensitivity to fearless self-possession, ‘Pity Party’ offers a whirlwind glimpse at all the drama and havoc unfolding in her mind, which includes imposter syndrome, existential dread, anticipatory grief, spinning all these battling emotions into an electrifying anthem. The song gives the album its title (from the chorus: “It’s a parody of pleasure/Lips big and red like a clown/It’s all just a pity party/So cry for me or get out”). “After I wrote that lyric I kept repeating it in my head, and finally it clicked that the word ‘pop’ could be an acronym for ‘parody of pleasure,’” she says. “Right away I knew it was the perfect title for my version of a pop record, where a lot of the songs are about yearning for love and affection, or even just yearning for the chase of that.” ‘Parody of Pleasure’ provides moments of pure euphoria as well, as Night channels the exhilaration of longing, lust, and obsession. Reflecting on the making of ‘Parody of Pleasure’, Night notes that assuming complete creative control over the album profoundly reshaped her sense of self. “Reclaiming my creativity gave me real confidence and made me feel cool in a whole new way, and I think you can hear that in the music,” she says “I hope that everyone takes whatever they need from the record—but no matter what, I hope that it helps them to feel more love for themselves, because that’s what my favorite music has always done for me.” |
