"Lilo" is the lead single from '' Good at Falling'', the 2019 debut album of English

indie pop Indie pop (also typeset as indie-pop or indiepop) is a music genre and subculture that combines guitar pop with a DIY ethic in opposition to the style and tone of mainstream pop music. It originated from British post-punk in the late 1970s and s ...

act The Japanese House (Amber Bain). "Lilo" was released on 27 September 2018.

Background

Bain has stated that "Lilo" was about her relationship with singer-songwriter

Marika Hackman Marika Louise Hackman (born 17 February 1992) is an English vocalist, multi-instrumentalist and songwriter. Hackman has released a mini-album, ''That Iron Taste'' (2013), and five full-length albums: ''We Slept at Last'' (2015); '' I'm Not Yo ...

. The lyrics deal heavily with themes of falling in love and subsequently falling out of love, wrapped around the imagery of a "lilo", British slang for a

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. Bain later asked Hackman to appear in the music video, after the actress originally cast dropped out.

Release

"Lilo" was premiered on

Zane Lowe Alexander Zane Reed Lowe (born 1973) is a New Zealand radio DJ, live DJ, record producer, and television presenter. After an early career in music creation, production and DJing, he moved to the UK in 1997. He came to prominence through pr ...

Beats 1 Apple Music 1, previously branded as Beats 1, is a 24/7 music radio station owned and operated by Apple Inc. It is accessible through iTunes or the Apple Music app on a computer, smartphone or tablet, smart speaker (such as the Apple HomePod), ...

show on 27 September 2018, the same day as the single's official release via

Dirty Hit Dirty Hit Limited is a British independent record label founded in February 2010 by Jamie Oborne, Chuck Waite, Brian Smith, and former England national football team, England footballer Ugo Ehiogu. Based in London since 2009, it has expanded op ...

Interscope Records Interscope Records is an American record label based in Santa Monica, California, owned by Universal Music Group through its Interscope Geffen A&M imprint. Founded in late 1990 by Jimmy Iovine and Ted Field as a $20 million joint venture ...

. The music video was released on 29 October 2018. The music video was praised for its atmospheric cinematography and the intimacy of its subject matter.

Reception

"Lilo" received positive reviews from critics, especially for its vocals, composition and lyrics. Gabriel Aikins of ''Substream'' magazine praised "Lilo" for Bain's vocals and use of electronic filters, and described the lyrics as "descriptive and affecting". ''Melodic'''s Jones Willingham also praised the single for its pacing and emotionality, In 2019, ''

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'' included the song in its list of the "30 Lesbian Love Songs".

References

{{authority control The Japanese House songs 2018 songs 2018 singles Dirty Hit singles