The world could use more straight shooters. You won’t ever have to wonder about what LP is thinking. She’ll gladly tell you. In fact, the singer-songwriter lays all of her cards on the table every time she makes a record. The artist’s fifth full-length—the aptly titled Heart To Mouth [BMG/Vagrant]—stands out as her most direct statement yet. No filter, no censorship, and no bullshit.

“When I get on the mic and start doing melodies, I can feel that direct line from my heart to my mouth,” she says. “In the past, there was a city full of streets that needed my attention. Now, I feel like I have a major highway to communicate emotion from. Whether they’re sadder songs or big anthems, they all come from the same place.”

She started to pave the way for that highway on 2017’s Lost On You. Her biggest hit to date, the title track “Lost On You,” eclipsed 500 million-plus streams and went platinum in Russia, Poland, Greece, Switzerland, Italy, France, and more.  The total view tally on the videos for “Lost On You,” “Muddy Waters,” and “When We’re High” surpassed 280 million within a year. 

Drawing on hard-earned confidence and leveraging a position as an independent shot-caller, she began collecting ideas for this latest album as early as 2017, working hand-in-hand with Lost On You collaborator and producer Mike Del Rio [Eminem, X Ambassadors, Skylar Grey] and writer Nathaniel Campany.

“I learned a lot over the years as far as what I want for myself, what I want to say, what I want to convey to people, and what I want to perform,” she continues. “I can finally portray who I want to portray and how. It all stems from freedom in my work. I don’t have to ask anybody for permission. I could be myself, and I really had some shit I wanted to say. None of us go through life unscathed, but at least you can write about it.”

And write about it, she did. Heart To Mouth is the sound of an artist incapable of holding back. Instead, she speaks candidly on love, lust, fear, insecurity, infidelity, regret, and redemption. The effervescent garage-y dancefloor grind of first single and opener “Girls Go Wild” fittingly introduces her as “the outlaw of outside.”  Meanwhile, the chilling piano chords of follow-up “Recovery” underscore the pain of a cheating lover as the chorus echoes raw pain and power with the admission, “I’m in recovery.”

“Ironically, I wrote it from my ex’s perspective of being cheated on, and then I was in the same position myself not too long after,” admits LP. “The feeling just fucking sucks. You never truly get it until you’re on both sides. It sucks breaking somebody’s heart, but it sucks, even more, being heartbroken.”

Elsewhere on the album, she pins a “haunted feeling” to soulful vocal fireworks on “Die For Your Love.” The delicately plucked guitar and hushed vocals of “One Night In The Sun” depict a relationship on its sad last legs from a longing, poetic perspective.  Another standout, “Dreamer” hinges on a shadowy blues croon as she relays frustrations with “a lover who has big dreams but won’t put any of the scaffolding to uphold that dream.”

“I can go the whole gamut of emotions in one day,” she says. “I’ve learned how to explain myself more succinctly with fewer words. That was the goal. There’s no cloying. I’m lucky to have an audience that gets it,” she leaves off. “They can see and hear I went through a lot of shit to get to this point and appreciate it because we all go through that from the cradle to the grave. I’m just here to sing about it. If you like it, great because I love it. If not, fuck it.” LP laughs.

In anticipation of the album’s release, LP reveals a brand new song entitled, “When I’m Over You.” Produced by Mike Del Rio (X Ambassadors, Kylie Minogue, POWERS), the track follows the release of “Recovery” and “Girls Go Wild,” and gives fans another glimpse of what’s to come from Heart to Mouth.
Watch the lyric video for “When I’m Over You” HERE.

Pre-order Heart to Mouth, available December 7, 2018

Fans get a chance to hear songs from the new album live on her upcoming tour, with five Canadian dates, including Toronto, February 9, 2019 at The Danforth Music Hall. Ticket here.

Tour Dates:
Fri., January 25, 2019                           Santa Ana, CA                         The Observatory
Sat., January 26, 2019                         Oakland, CA                             Fox Theater
Sun., January 27, 2019                         Sacramento, CA                       Ace of Spades
Tues., January 29, 2019                        Portland, OR                            Roseland Theater
Thurs., January 31, 2019                    Vancouver, BC                        Orpheum Theater
Fri., February 1, 2019                           Seattle, WA                              Showbox SoDo
Sat., February 2, 2019                          Missoula, MT                            Wilma Theater
Mon., February 4, 2019                         Salt Lake City, UT                     The Union Event Center
Tues., February 5, 2019                        Denver, CO                              Ogden Theater
Thurs., February 7, 2019                       Minneapolis, MN                       First Avenue – Mainroom
Fri., February 8, 2019                           Chicago, IL                               The Vic Theater
Sat., February 9, 2019                         Toronto, ON                             The Danforth Music Hall
Mon., February 11, 2019                     Montreal, QC                           MTELUS
Tues., February 12, 2019                    Quebec City, QC                      L’Imperial Bell
Thurs., February 14, 2019                   Montreal, QC                           MTELUS
Fri., February 15, 2019                         Philadelphia, PA                       The Fillmore
Sat., February 16, 2019                        New York, NY                           Terminal 5
Mon., February 18, 2019                       Boston, MA                              House of Blues
Tues., February 19, 2019                      Washington, DC                        Lincoln Theater
Fri., February 22, 2019                         Ponte Vedra, FL                       Ponte Vedra Concert Hall
Sat., February 23, 2019                        Orlando, FL                              The Social
Sun., February 24, 2019                        Fort Lauderdale, FL                  Culture Room
Tues., February 26, 2019                      Atlanta, GA                              Buckhead Theater
Wed., February 27, 2019                      Nashville, TN                            Marathon Music Works
Fri., March 1, 2019                               Houston, TX                             White Oak Music Hall – Inside
Sat., March 2, 2019                              Austin, TX                                Emos
Sun. March 3, 2019                              Dallas, TX                                 Granada Theater
Tues., March 5, 2019                            Santa Fe, NM                           Meow Wolf
Wed., March 6, 2019                            Phoenix, AZ                             Crescent Ballroom
Fri., March 8, 2019                               San Diego, CA                          The Observatory North Park
Sat., March 9, 2019                              Los Angeles, CA                       The Wiltern

 

About the Author

Bryen Dunn is a freelance journalist with a focus on travel, lifestyle, entertainment and hospitality. He has an extensive portfolio of celebrity interviews with musicians, actors and other public personalities. He enjoys discovering delicious eats, tasting spirited treats, and being mesmerized by musical beats.