Scarlet Lastrapes Shares Debut Single + Video for “Shady Little Lady” via Eye Knee Records
Today, Scarlet Lastrapes‘ debut single, “Shady Little Lady,” releases via Eye Knee Records. Watch the music video for Shady Little Lady HERE.
In the tradition of artists like Lucy Dacus, St. Vincent, and Linda Rondstadt, Lastrapes blends pop elements of now and forever with her own, uniquely skewed imagination. “Shady Little Lady” is a fresh slice of indie-pop, from a young voice both bright and assured .Speaking of the track, Lastrapes said, “Shady Little Lady is my own compulsion personified. I imagine she crawled through my ear one day, when I was just twelve years old. I believe neurodivergence to be sorely underrepresented in pop music, so, I tried to craft the song I wish I’d had when I was a kid, and first met Shady. Her new track is also accompanied by a music video that blends live action and animation, providing a cinematic visual aid for the song’s storyline, tracking the pair’s relationship over the years.
“Shady Little Lady” is a fresh slice of indie-pop, from a young voice both bright and assured.Speaking of the track, Lastrapes said, “Shady Little Lady is my own compulsion personified. I imagine she crawled through my ear one day, when I was just twelve years old. I believe neurodivergence to be sorely underrepresented in pop music, so, I tried to craft the song I wish I’d had when I was a kid, and first met Shady.”Her new track is also accompanied by a music video that blends live action and animation, providing a cinematic visual aid for the song’s storyline, tracking the pair’s relationship over the years.
Featured Interview:
What artists/individuals have made the biggest impact on you musically?
Well, a few that come right to mind are Madison Cunningham, Kate Bush, Fiona Apple, St. Vincent, and Rina Sawayama. I’m really excited by the element of surprise in their music. I get nearly the same feeling when a Stephen Sondheim melody takes an unexpected turn as when a Charli XCX song uses an uncomfortably abrasive synth for thirty straight seconds. I love that stuff.
2. Tell us about your new track, “Shady Little Lady”!
“Shady Little Lady” is about my experience with trichotillomania (a disorder under the umbrella of OCD). When I was twelve, I started pulling out my own hair and I didn’t know why. What I did know was that I couldn’t stop. I’d keep myself from pulling for maybe a few days, but just felt more ashamed every time I gave in again. A habit solidified and became a self-soothing mechanism that I didn’t want to say goodbye to. The song is about the complicated feelings and rhythms that come with finding comfort and pleasure in a destructive behavior.
3. What made “Shady Little Lady” the right song to kick off your musical career with?
I love instantly pleasant, catchy songs; the kind you’re humming along to by the time the third chorus rolls around. After I wrote “Shady Little Lady,” I felt like I’d achieved that quality. The moment I really knew it worked was the first time I played it live, at National YoungArts Week. It was one of the first times I’d ever played original music for people and the audience responded especially well to that song. There was actual dancing and it made me very happy. The people who were in that crowd are a significant reason why I decided to make “Shady Little Lady” my first recorded and fully produced original song.
4. You’ve talked about how “Shady Little Lady” is a representation of your own compulsions. Could you go into more detail on how those compulsions manifest themself in your day-to-day life?
The shady little lady in the song represents the feeling I get when I try to ignore the urge to pull out my own hair. I resist but she screams at me until I give in. That’s what trichotillomania feels like to me. But since I wrote the song a year and a half ago, I’ve learned that my obsessions and compulsions spread way farther than hair-pulling. Lifelong behaviors I thought were unrelated all turned out to be connected to my OCD. I can listen to the song with new ears now, and it feels like it’s describing this surge in learning about myself that’s occurred these past couple months. OCD infects my sleep, my relationships, my self image. Basically, the lady’s even shadier than I realized.
5. What was the writing process like for this track?
I wrote “Shady” in two distinct sessions. I first sat down with the goal of writing an earworm, got lucky and finished that part up pretty quickly, but then felt like it could still be elevated in some way… I just didn’t know how. Months later, I was introduced to Madison Cunningham’s album Revealer. I was so enamored that I listened a second time right after it finished. That album took risks in ways I forgot were allowed and I was inspired to dig back in and rework my first pass until I felt I’d achieved a good balance between pop, craft and the satisfyingly surprising.
6. How do you see your music disrupting the modern music landscape?
I’m compelled to write what I don’t see being written. I’d never heard a song about trichotillomania, so I wrote one. Playing this song for friends and family, I was shocked to learn how many found it relatable. I think too often we’re afraid to talk about experiences or thoughts we have because they seem strange, niche, or shameful. But really, there are so many with similar experiences and thoughts who are also just too scared to talk about them. When one person breaks the silence, others follow suit.
7. What do you hope people take away from your music?
I hope they walk away with a feeling of whimsy. And I hope they feel I see them.
8. What was the first song that gave you goosebumps as a kid?
“She’s Leaving Home” by The Beatles has always sounded to me like a rainy day. That song makes me feel something no other song ever has. I love listening to it when it’s raining. That feels correct.
9. What can we expect next from you and your work?
I’m still not done exploring neurodivergent themes, so stay tuned for new chapters digging into the more… irregular folds of my brain. That said, I’d also like to try my hand at writing songs for other people. Every day I’m inspired by a steady stream of new and interesting rabbit holes. Did I mention I also have ADHD (yay comorbidity!)?
