Video Premiere : “Cruel World (Nickel & Dime)” by Lily Frost

Photo by Jen Spires

From The Artist : 60’s UK mod culture was all about looking sharp under pressure. Styled in brogues, mini skirts and slim fits, riding mopeds; these punks had class even if they couldn’t afford it. It was a matter of taste and dignity against all odds. Moving between vintage pop and hip hop on “Cruel World (Nickel & Dime),” I try to bring this era back to life. Slakah The Beatchild and I wrote this one together.

With 14 album releases under her belt, Lily Frost shapeshifts through genres touching on topics like secrets, stonewalling, forest fires, feminism, desire, motherhood, dreams and the intriguing entanglements between men and women. Lily collaborates with writers and producers in Nashville, Los Angeles, New York and Toronto.

Retro-Moderne is Lily’s best-quality work to date, with pointed and precise production by Gus Van Go (The Stills, Whitehorse, Jill Barber and Terra Lightfoot). The record dives into a 60’s sonic space with girl group style backups befitting of Dusty Springfield. Lily and her collaborators use twangy spaghetti western guitars, programmed and live drums, layered and verby tambourines and Lee Hazlewood Hofner-style bass to outfit Lily’s sweet yarn-spinning voice.

The new single ‘Cruel World (Nickel & Dime)’ utilizes crisp modern production to split the difference between the retro songwriting flourishes. The song easily fits into a present-day aesthetic. The timeless melodies don’t hurt the situation one bit. Each effortless percussive bounce propels the track’s wall of sound arrangement into a glorious combination of dance-ready bopper and ethereal headphone trance. The verse-chorus clearly juxtaposes these two sides of the coin, but each comes from a natural place. This is Lily Frost’s world, and her personality cascades forward in every note.

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