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Luluc (''Lou-Luke'') are an Australian band, consisting of Zoë Randell and Steve Hassett. They are based in Brooklyn, New York. Luluc have released five highly esteemed albums; ''Dear Hamlyn'', ''Passerby'', ''Sculptor'' on
Sub Pop Sub Pop is an independent record label founded in 1986 by Bruce Pavitt and Jonathan Poneman. Sub Pop achieved fame in the early 1990s for signing Seattle bands such as Nirvana (band), Nirvana, Soundgarden, and Mudhoney, central players in the gru ...
records and Mistletone Records (for Aus/NZ), ''Dreamboat'' (Sun Chaser Records) and ''Diamonds'' in September 2023 (Community Music). The band is admired for their poetic writing, exquisite musicianship and understated yet compelling sound.


Albums


''Diamonds'' – 2023

In late 2022, Luluc met with Los Angeles-based manager/music supervisor Bryan Ling from New Community Mgmt, and the band later signed with the Los Angeles-based record label Community Records. ''Diamonds'', Luluc's fifth studio album, was released September 15, 2023. Diamonds has received widespread critical acclaim. Timothy Monger at
AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...
declared "Luluc are unlikely candidates to create a classic American road song and yet, with the title track they do just that...Each album in the band's catalog is a gem and Diamonds, with its dream-like tone and bouquet of lived-in stories, is perhaps their brightest." UNCUT reflected "Zoe Randell's low reverberant voice, like Nico fronting Morphine. This is, though, an album of upbeat rebirth, born from considered reflection". Mojo highlighted "Randell's voice is so crystalline, so deadpan it's spooky...see this as Townes Van Zandt were he refracted through the lens of Mazzy Star". Bob Fish from Folk Music concluded "Using sonic simplicity, Luluc manage to change the rules of the game with Diamonds. Their glorious visions deliver a magic that reaffirms what we are and what we can be".
Bob Boilen Bob B Boilen (born April 10, 1953, in Brooklyn, New York City) is an American musician and media personality. He was the host and creator of NPR's online music show ''All Songs Considered'' and the co-creator of NPR's Tiny Desk Concerts, a series ...
featured the "Diamonds" single in his NPR New Music Mix, and Best Releases, in September 2023. "Diamonds" was also featured on
Guy Garvey Guy Edward John Patrick Garvey (born 6 March 1974) is an English musician, singer, songwriter and radio presenter. He is the lead singer and lyricist of the rock band Elbow. He has a weekly show on BBC Radio 6 Music titled ''Guy Garvey's Fines ...
's Finest Hour on BBC6.


''Dreamboat'' – 2020

In 2020, Luluc decided against a Sub Pop record deal offer on ''Dreamboat'', citing frustration with the lag in release schedule. "We really felt the need to be more nimble, to release the work on our schedule, rather than through the label machinations which have an inevitable lag. So it was an artistic decision..." The band created Sun Chaser Records label and released ''Dreamboat'' in October 2020. ''Dreamboat'' was released to significant praise. Jay Ruttenberg in ''
The New Yorker ''The New Yorker'' is an American magazine featuring journalism, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons, and poetry. It was founded on February 21, 1925, by Harold Ross and his wife Jane Grant, a reporter for ''The New York T ...
'' wrote "Throughout ''Dreamboat'', Luluc's fourth album, Randell's singing is crystalline and unflappable, with a strange beauty that verges on creepy—it's the kind of voice that, on a movie soundtrack, portends unspeakable doom". Uncut Magazine wrote, "Randell's vocals, timeless and pure, carries something of a myth-making quality in its timbre" (January 2021). NPR All Songs Considered featured ''Dreamboat'' upon release and Emerald City in Bob Boilen's Top 40 songs of 2020". Narc magazine reflected "perhaps the real triumph of Luluc's Dreamboat is the consistent lullaby/Karen Carpenter vocal delivery of Zoe Randell and her ability to find memorable, interesting, pop melodies within each of the different sonic textures". Shindig noted "These are modern watercolors of ruminative elegance with an understated hypnotic flair". ''Dreamboat'' was recorded partly in Berlin at PEOPLE festival and in Brooklyn, New York. Guest musicians included
Aaron Dessner Aaron Brooking Dessner (born April 23, 1976) is an American musician. He is best known as a founding member of the rock band The National (band), the National, with whom he has recorded nine studio albums; a co-founder of the indie rock duo Big ...
( The National), drummers JT Bates (
Bon Iver Bon Iver ( ) is an American indie folk band founded in 2006 by singer-songwriter Justin Vernon in Eau Claire, Wisconsin. Vernon had originally formed Bon Iver as a solo project, but it eventually became a band consisting of Vernon (vocals, guit ...
), Jason Treuting (
Sō Percussion Sō Percussion is a Grammy winning American percussion quartet formed in 1999 and based in New York City. Composed of Josh Quillen, Adam Sliwinski, Jason Treuting, and Eric Cha-Beach, the group is well known for recording and touring internationa ...
),
CJ Camerieri CJ Camerieri (born in New Jersey) is a trumpet and French horn player, arranger, and producer. Camerieri is best known as the brass player for Paul Simon, Bon Iver, and the contemporary classic ensemble yMusic. His extensive discography is highl ...
(
yMusic yMusic is an American sextet chamber ensemble from New York City. Consisting of a trumpet, flute, clarinet, violin, viola, and cello, the group was formed in Brooklyn by trumpeter CJ Camerieri and violinist Rob Moose in 2008. Career The ensem ...
) on trumpet; and saxophonist
Stuart Bogie Stuart D. Bogie is an American multi-instrumentalist, composer, arranger, and music producer. Originally from Evanston, Illinois, Bogie became a staple in the Brooklyn music scene. Early years Bogie studied music at the Interlochen Arts Acad ...
(
Arcade Fire Arcade Fire is a Canadian indie rock band from Montreal, Quebec, consisting of husband and wife Win Butler and Régine Chassagne, alongside Richard Reed Parry, Tim Kingsbury, and Jeremy Gara. The band's touring line-up includes former core ...
).


''Sculptor'' – 2018

''Sculptor'' was released on
Sub Pop Sub Pop is an independent record label founded in 1986 by Bruce Pavitt and Jonathan Poneman. Sub Pop achieved fame in the early 1990s for signing Seattle bands such as Nirvana (band), Nirvana, Soundgarden, and Mudhoney, central players in the gru ...
on 13 July 2018. ''Sculptor'' was produced by Steve Hassett and Zoe Randell in Ditmas Park, Brooklyn. It featured guest appearances from
J Mascis Joseph Donald Mascis Jr. (born December 10, 1965), better known as J Mascis, is an American musician who is the singer, guitarist and main songwriter for the alternative rock band Dinosaur Jr. He has also released several albums as a solo artist a ...
,
Aaron Dessner Aaron Brooking Dessner (born April 23, 1976) is an American musician. He is best known as a founding member of the rock band The National (band), the National, with whom he has recorded nine studio albums; a co-founder of the indie rock duo Big ...
and Jim White among others. In its first month of release, it won worldwide praise including ''Uncut Magazines Album of the Month and 4 star and 8/10 reviews in ''
The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...
'', Mojo, Line of Best Fit, Under the Radar and Q Magazine. Sculptor received BBC6 and BBC2 airplay, including on Iggy Pop's LA Confidential ''
Mojo Mojo may refer to: * Mojo (African-American culture), a magical charm bag used in Hoodoo Arts, entertainment and media Film and television * ''Mojo'' (2017 film), a 2017 Indian Kannada drama film written and directed by Sreesha Belakvaadi * '' ...
'' observed that "Sculptor yields centre-stage to Randell's haiku-like celebrations of human spirit and suburban transcendence". Uncut declared "Sculptor is the strongest and most assured record of their career. The songs dig deep emotionally – but critically their aesthetics are well-balanced, the voice and instruments perfectly calibrated...Sculptor is wide open". Line of Best Fit concluded "Ultimately, the album repays careful and repeated attention, its varied qualities cohering effectively with a measured sense of control". Live reviews have also been full of praise "Randall's voice was warm and rich with each lyric that fell on the audience...Their overall sound was marked by a timelessness that also felt avant-garde in its minimalism".


''Passerby'' – 2014

''Passerby'' has consistently received outstanding reviews and was listed as the number one album of 2014 by
NPR Music NPR Music is a project of National Public Radio, an American privately and publicly funded non-profit membership media organization, that launched in November 2007 to present public radio music programming and original editorial content for music ...
's
Bob Boilen Bob B Boilen (born April 10, 1953, in Brooklyn, New York City) is an American musician and media personality. He was the host and creator of NPR's online music show ''All Songs Considered'' and the co-creator of NPR's Tiny Desk Concerts, a series ...
and Stephen Thompson. ''Passerby'' was released on
Sub Pop Sub Pop is an independent record label founded in 1986 by Bruce Pavitt and Jonathan Poneman. Sub Pop achieved fame in the early 1990s for signing Seattle bands such as Nirvana (band), Nirvana, Soundgarden, and Mudhoney, central players in the gru ...
on 15 July 2014, the album was co-produced by Aaron Dessner of The National, and recorded at his studio in Brooklyn. Sub Pop co-founder
Jonathan Poneman Jonathan Poneman is an American record executive and co-founder of two record labels: Sub Pop and Hardly Art. He was credited by Kurt Cobain as the one who coined the term "grunge.” Early life and education The third child of Harold and Bever ...
, met and signed the band within 48 hours of hearing the master recordings. Poneman was sent the Passerby Masters by Peter Blackstock, co-founder of '' No Depression'' magazine. ''
The Wall Street Journal ''The Wall Street Journal'' (''WSJ''), also referred to simply as the ''Journal,'' is an American newspaper based in New York City. The newspaper provides extensive coverage of news, especially business and finance. It operates on a subscriptio ...
'' named ''Passerby'' as one of their best fifteen albums of 2014. Wilco named ''Passerby'' one of their "favourite recent releases" in 2015. The album received 4 and 5 star reviews in ''
Mojo Mojo may refer to: * Mojo (African-American culture), a magical charm bag used in Hoodoo Arts, entertainment and media Film and television * ''Mojo'' (2017 film), a 2017 Indian Kannada drama film written and directed by Sreesha Belakvaadi * '' ...
'', '' Bust'',
AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...
and ''Lesinrocks'' amongst others. ''Passerby'' was number one added to CMJ radio in its week of release. Dave Di Martino wrote in ''Rolling Stone USA'' that the record is a "timeless, quietly special set" and that "Passerby is gorgeous and refined through and through".


''Dear Hamlyn'' – 2008

Luluc released their debut album, ''Dear Hamlyn'', in 2008; the songs were written following the death of Randell's father. ''Dear Hamlyn'' eventually gained a large group of influential admirers. Peter Blackstock co-founder of '' No Depression'' magazine, wrote of the album, "The most beautiful album I've heard in ten years". In 2011
Nick Drake Nicholas Rodney Drake (19 June 1948 – 25 November 1974) was an English singer-songwriter and musician. An accomplished acoustic guitarist, Drake signed to Island Records at the age of twenty while still a student at the University of Cambridg ...
's producer, Joe Boyd, also taken by ''Dear Hamlyn'', invited Luluc to feature in his Nick Drake tribute tour. They contributed the tracks "Things Behind the Sun" and "Fly" to the live tribute album, ''Way to Blue: The Songs of Nick Drake'' in 2013. ''Dear Hamlyn'' was reissued and given worldwide release on Sub Pop Records on March 8, 2019.


Collaborations

Randell co-wrote the music on The National song "Pink Rabbits" from their 2013 album, ''
Trouble Will Find Me ''Trouble Will Find Me'' is the sixth studio album by American indie rock band the National, released on May 17, 2013, on 4AD. Produced by band members Aaron and Bryce Dessner, the album features appearances from St. Vincent, Sharon Van Etten, ...
''. Luluc sang backing vocals on the
Leonard Cohen Leonard Norman Cohen (September 21, 1934November 7, 2016) was a Canadian songwriter, singer, poet, and novelist. Themes commonly explored throughout his work include faith and mortality, isolation and depression, betrayal and redemption, soc ...
song "Listen to the Hummingbird" on Cohens final album, ''
Thanks for the Dance ''Thanks for the Dance'' is the fifteenth and final studio album by Canadian singer-songwriter Leonard Cohen, released posthumously through Columbia Records and Legacy Recordings on November 22, 2019. It is the first release following Cohen's death ...
''. They were invited by Nick Drake's manager/producer, Joe Boyd, to cover Drake's songs as part of the ''Way to Blue: The Songs of Nick Drake'' tour and live album. Luluc's version of "Things Behind the Sun" was chosen as a lead single. Randell sang harmonies on
J Mascis Joseph Donald Mascis Jr. (born December 10, 1965), better known as J Mascis, is an American musician who is the singer, guitarist and main songwriter for the alternative rock band Dinosaur Jr. He has also released several albums as a solo artist a ...
(
Dinosaur Jr. Dinosaur Jr. is an American rock band formed in Amherst, Massachusetts, in 1984. Originally called Dinosaur, the band was forced to change their name because of legal issues. The band was founded by J Mascis (guitar, vocals, primary songwriter) ...
) song "I Went Dust" from '' Elastic Days''. Hassett sang backing vocals on The National song "Lean" which was recorded for '' The Hunger Games: Catching Fire – Original Motion Picture Soundtrack''. Luluc covers include: * the
Townes Van Zandt John Townes Van Zandt (March 7, 1944 – January 1, 1997) was an American singer-songwriter.
song "None But the Rain", for the ''More Townes from the Great Unknown'' compilation *
The Flatlanders The Flatlanders are an American country band from Lubbock, Texas, founded in 1972 by Jimmie Dale Gilmore, Joe Ely and Butch Hancock. The group garnered little success during their brief original incarnation from 1972 to 1973, but when the in ...
' song "Keeper of the Mountain", for the Italian magazine ''OndaRock''s Outlaw Country compilation; and * the 1934 standard "Blue Moon", for RISING Festival's lunar-themed Singles Club series. Luluc performed the
Doug Sahm Douglas Wayne Sahm (November 6, 1941 – November 18, 1999) was an American musician, singer-songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist from San Antonio, Texas. He is regarded as a key Tejano music, Tex-Mex music and Music of Texas, Texan Music pe ...
song "Sunday Sunny Mill Valley Groove Day" at the 2015 Doug Sahm Tribute concert in Austin, Texas. They collaborated with Xylouris White (
Jim White (drummer) Jim Ronald White (born 1962) is an Australian drummer, songwriter, and producer. In 1992 he formed Dirty Three, an instrumental rock band, with fellow mainstays Warren Ellis on violin; and Mick Turner on guitar. In Dirty Three, White sometime ...
of
Dirty Three Dirty Three are an Australian instrumental rock band, consisting of Warren Ellis (musician), Warren Ellis (violin, keyboards), Mick Turner (electric guitar, organ and bass) and Jim White (drummer), Jim White (drums), which formed in 1992. Their ...
, and Cretan Lute Master Giorgos Xylouris) on a cover of
The Grateful Dead The Grateful Dead was an American rock band formed in Palo Alto, California, in 1965. Known for their eclectic style that fused elements of rock, blues, jazz, folk, country, bluegrass, rock and roll, gospel, reggae, and world music with psyc ...
's "Til the Morning Comes" for the tribute album ''Day of the Dead''. The project was curated by
Aaron Dessner Aaron Brooking Dessner (born April 23, 1976) is an American musician. He is best known as a founding member of the rock band The National (band), the National, with whom he has recorded nine studio albums; a co-founder of the indie rock duo Big ...
and
Bryce Dessner Bryce David Dessner (born April 23, 1976) is an American composer and guitarist based in Paris, and a member of the rock band the National. Dessner's twin brother, Aaron is also a member of the group. Together, they write the music in collabo ...
of The National, with proceeds benefitting the
Red Hot Organization ''Red Hot Organization'' (RHO) is a non-profit, 501(c) 3, international organization with goals to promote diversity through equal access to healthcare through pop culture. Since its inception in 1989, over 400 artists, producers and directors ...
. Hassett and Randell sang backing vocals on Big Red Machine; the collaborative project between
Justin Vernon Justin DeYarmond Edison Vernon (born April 30, 1981) is an American singer, songwriter, producer and multi-instrumentalist. He is best-known as the primary songwriter and Lead vocalist, frontman of indie folk band Bon Iver. He is also a member o ...
and
Aaron Dessner Aaron Brooking Dessner (born April 23, 1976) is an American musician. He is best known as a founding member of the rock band The National (band), the National, with whom he has recorded nine studio albums; a co-founder of the indie rock duo Big ...
.


Touring

Luluc have toured North America, Europe, Australia and New Zealand. They have toured with The National,
J Mascis Joseph Donald Mascis Jr. (born December 10, 1965), better known as J Mascis, is an American musician who is the singer, guitarist and main songwriter for the alternative rock band Dinosaur Jr. He has also released several albums as a solo artist a ...
,
Dinosaur Jr. Dinosaur Jr. is an American rock band formed in Amherst, Massachusetts, in 1984. Originally called Dinosaur, the band was forced to change their name because of legal issues. The band was founded by J Mascis (guitar, vocals, primary songwriter) ...
,
Father John Misty Joshua Michael Tillman (born May 3, 1981), better known by his stage name Father John Misty, is an American musician. He is known for his satirical lyrics and eccentric performance style. Tillman began his career in Seattle in the early 2000s. O ...
,
Fleet Foxes Fleet Foxes are an American indie folk band formed in Seattle, Washington, in 2006. The band currently consists of Robin Pecknold (vocals, guitar), Skyler Skjelset (guitar, mandolin, backing vocals), Casey Wescott (keyboards, mandolin, backin ...
, Jose Gonzalez and
Lucinda Williams Lucinda Gayl Williams (born January 26, 1953) is an American singer-songwriter and a solo guitarist. She recorded her first two albums, ''Ramblin' on My Mind (Lucinda Williams album), Ramblin' on My Mind'' (1979) and ''Happy Woman Blues'' (198 ...
among others. Luluc have performed at numerous festivals around the world including;
All Tomorrow's Parties "All Tomorrow's Parties" is a song by the Velvet Underground and Nico, written by Lou Reed and released as the band's debut single in 1966. The song is from their 1967 debut studio album, ''The Velvet Underground & Nico''. Inspiration for the so ...
(Curated by The National),
Golden Plains Festival The Golden Plains Festival is held over three days during the Victorian Labour Day long-weekend on private farmland in Victoria, Australia. The nearest rural town is Meredith, which is between the regional cities of Geelong and Ballarat. The ...
,
Wilco Wilco is an American Rock music, rock band based in Chicago. The band was formed in 1994 by the remaining members of alternative country group Uncle Tupelo after singer Jay Farrar's departure. Wilco's lineup changed frequently during its fir ...
's Solid Sound Festival, the
Newport Folk Festival The Newport Folk Festival is an annual American folk-oriented music festival in Newport, Rhode Island, which began in 1959 as a counterpart to the Newport Jazz Festival. The festival was founded by music promoter and Jazz Festival founder Geor ...
, St Jerome's Laneway Festival,
SXSW South by Southwest (SXSW) is an annual conglomeration of parallel film, interactive media, and music festivals and Convention (meeting), conferences organized jointly that take place in mid-March in Austin, Texas. It began in 1987 and has conti ...
, the 2018 PEOPLE Festival at the in Berlin and more. Luluc have performed at major venues worldwide including the
Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts (also simply known as Lincoln Center) is a complex of buildings in the Lincoln Square neighborhood on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. It has thirty indoor and outdoor facilities and is host to 5  ...
as part of the 2016 American Songbook series, The Sydney Opera House and the O2 Apollo Manchester.


Television appearances

Luluc recorded at
NPR Music NPR Music is a project of National Public Radio, an American privately and publicly funded non-profit membership media organization, that launched in November 2007 to present public radio music programming and original editorial content for music ...
's 'Tiny Desk' in September 2014. Host
Bob Boilen Bob B Boilen (born April 10, 1953, in Brooklyn, New York City) is an American musician and media personality. He was the host and creator of NPR's online music show ''All Songs Considered'' and the co-creator of NPR's Tiny Desk Concerts, a series ...
remarked "I've spent more time listening to Luluc's second album, ''Passerby'', than any other album this year. It's a calming, seemingly effortless affair: a marriage of graceful singing and storytelling, with guitars and textures that help create an unforgettable aura". Luluc performed numerous songs live for '' Other Voices'' in 2014, including Passerby where they were joined by Aaron Dessner and Little Suitcase (Zoe performing solo). Their songs, "I Found You" (Season 6, episode 19) and "One Day Soon" (Season 6, episode 21) were featured on ABC's ''
Grey's Anatomy ''Grey's Anatomy'' is an American medical drama television series focusing on the personal and professional lives of surgical internship (medicine), interns, residency (medicine), residents, and attending physician, attendings at the fictional ...
''. "Kids" was featured on the Australian ABC TV Series 2 of
Mystery Road Mystery Road may refer to: * ''Mystery Road'' (film), a 2013 Australian neo-western crime film * ''Mystery Road'' (TV series), an Australian television drama series beginning in 2018 * ''Mystery Road'' (album), a 1989 album by Drivin N Cryin * '' ...
directed by
Warwick Thornton Warwick Thornton is an Australian film director, screenwriter, and cinematographer. His debut feature film '' Samson and Delilah'' won the Caméra d'Or at the 2009 Cannes Film Festival and the award for Best Film at the Asia Pacific Screen Awar ...
, Wayne Blair and
Rachel Perkins Rachel Perkins (born 1970) is an Indigenous Australian film and television director, producer, and screenwriter. She founded and was co-director of the independent film production company Blackfella Films from 1992 until 2022. Perkins and the ...
. Luluc's "Gold on the Leaves" was featured on Season 10, episode 4 of ''
Criminal Minds ''Criminal Minds'' is an American police procedural crime drama television series created by Jeff Davis that premiered on CBS on September 22, 2005. It follows a group of criminal profilers who work for the FBI as members of its Behavioral ...
''; and "Star" was featured on Season 6, episode 6 of '' Parenthood''.


Discography


Albums

* ''Dear Hamlyn'' - 2008 * ''Passerby'' - 2014 * ''
Sculptor Sculpture is the branch of the visual arts that operates in three dimensions. Sculpture is the three-dimensional art work which is physically presented in the dimensions of height, width and depth. It is one of the plastic arts. Durable sc ...
'' - 2018 * ''Dreamboat'' - 2020 * ''Diamonds'' - 2023


References


External links

* *
Luluc on Sub Pop Records
{{DEFAULTSORT:Luluc Australian musical duos Sub Pop artists Male–female musical duos Australian indie folk groups