Lucius | |
|---|---|
 Lucius in 2022 | |
| Background information | |
| Origin | Brooklyn, New York |
| Genres | |
| Years active | 2007–present |
| Labels | |
| Members | Jess Wolfe Holly Laessig Dan Molad Peter Lalish |
| Past members | Andrew Burri |
| Website | ilovelucius |
Lucius is an American four-pieceindie pop band. The group was founded in 2007 by lead vocalistsJess Wolfe and Holly Laessig, joined by drummer Dan Molad, guitarist Peter Lalish, and, formerly, multi-instrumentalist Andrew Burri.[1] Originating inBrooklyn, the band relocated to Los Angeles in 2015.[2][3]
They have released three studio albums withMom + Pop Music, including their most recent,Second Nature, in April 2022.[4] Their music has received critical acclaim fromThe New York Times,Rolling Stone,NPR andThe Village Voice.Paste named them as one of the best live acts in 2015.[5] Wolfe and Laessig have also contributed vocals for artists such asRoger Waters,Harry Styles,Jeff Tweedy,Jackson Browne,John Legend,Mavis Staples,John Prine,Sheryl Crow,Grace Potter,Goose,The War on Drugs,Brandi Carlile,Lukas Nelson & Promise of the Real,Brandy Clark, andJoni Mitchell.
Jess Wolfe and Holly Laessig first met in 2005 as students at theBerklee College of Music and began performing together.[6][7] In 2007, they founded Lucius after moving toDitmas Park, Brooklyn to pursue a musical career.[6] The two lived in an old Victorian mansion which had a 60-year-old recording studio and vintage pianos inside.[8]
In 2009, Wolfe and Laessig self-releasedSongs from the Bromley House, a biographical ode to the house and the experiences that they had in their Brooklyn home.[9] During this period, they were joined by producer Doug Wamble.[10] The band made a one-time pressing CD of the album and has not released the album since.
Shortly after the release ofSongs from the Bromley House, Wolfe and Laessig connected with Dan Molad. By 2010, the three were collaborating on future Lucius music. During this period, Pete Lalish was introduced by Molad, and the two soon joined Lucius, making it a four-piece. About a year later, Molad met singer and guitarist Andy Burri who was invited to join the band. Following this, in 2011, most of the music the band had already made together was re-recorded and later released as their debut EP.[7]
On July 9, 2020,Lucius announced they would be digitally re-releasingSongs from the Bromley House to raise funds for businesses affected by the COVID-19 virus. Wolfe told fans the news during an "Ask Me Anything" portion of their livestream series,Turning It Around: A Community Rebuilding Concert. The album, she said, would be up for purchase on the band's website for a limited time along with several other unique items created especially for the streaming series.[11]
The quintet released a self-titled EP in February 2012.Lucius received several placements in TV shows includingGrey's Anatomy andCatfish: The TV Show. The band did aTiny Desk Concerts performance in January 2013 which is hailed by fans as one of their most iconic performances to this day.[12] That same year, the Silver Sound Music Video Film Festival + Band Battle awarded the "Go Home" video as Best Animation.[13] Their song "Until We Get There" gained significant popularity after its feature in season 2, episode 24 of the TV showNew Girl.
The band toured the EP throughout the first half of 2013 while finishing the recording ofWildewoman–produced by band member Dan Molad.Mom + Pop Music releasedWildewoman in North America on October 15, 2013. It received favorable reviews fromRolling Stone andConsequence of Sound. The album was released worldwide on March 31, 2014, viaPlay It Again Sam.The Guardian described it as "60s girl group-inspired songs doused in a tonic of baroque pop and saccharine folk."[14] The record was praised for its eclectic mix of musical styles that ranged from retro pop to reflective folk.[15]
The song "Until We Get There" was featured in the filmIf I Stay and was included on the 2014 soundtrack.
During their world tour between the fall of 2013 and the end of 2014, Lucius also played music festivals and opened for artists includingTegan and Sara,The Head and the Heart,[16]Sara Bareilles,[17]Andrew Bird,City and Colour, andJack White.
The deluxe version ofWildewoman was released in October 2014. It features live recordings and covers, with one version of their song "How Loud Your Heart Gets" produced by Spoon'sJim Eno forSpotify. The band ended their world tour with a sold-out show atTerminal 5 in New York on December 6, 2014.[18]
The band's second album,Good Grief, was released on March 11, 2016. It was co-produced and engineered by Grammy-winning engineerShawn Everett, and was mixed byTom Elmhirst. Songs were inspired by the band's two years on the road withWildewoman,[19] and written in late 2015 when the band relocated from Brooklyn to Los Angeles.[20] Departing from their previous sound, the album focused on "moody Eighties-synth melodies and raw lyrics about the hardships of marriage."[21]
The deluxe edition ofGood Grief features the band's cover ofThe Kinks' song "Strangers" which gained attention from a crowd-sourced video of the band performing in Petaluma, California in August 2014.[22]
In July 2015, Wolfe and Laessig performed withRoger Waters andMy Morning Jacket at theNewport Folk Festival.
The band has also performed tracks fromGood Grief onThe Ellen DeGeneres Show,The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, andLate Night with Seth Meyers. "Born Again Teen" and "Dusty Trails" were featured on the fifth episode ofCameron Crowe's showRoadies. In the final episode of the first season, Wolfe and Laessig performed theLowell George song "Willin" withJackson Browne.[23] In September 2016, Andrew Burri departed from the band.[6]
In September and October 2016, the band performed with Waters and his band for three shows in Mexico City and the Desert Trip Festival in Indio, California.[24]
On November 25, 2016, the band released a two-song 10 inch vinyl record titledPulling Teeth which contained two B-sides–"Pulling Teeth" and "The Punisher".
The band released their first compilation album,Nudes, in March 2018. The collection features acoustic versions of songs from the band's back catalogue, new songs, and a duet withRoger Waters.[25]
Wolfe and Laessig joined Waters to sing backup vocals on theUs + Them Tour. The pair also sang a featured duet based onClare Torrey's wordless vocals inThe Great Gig in the Sky. The tour covered North America, New Zealand, Australia, Europe, South America, and Mexico. The world tour began in Kansas City in May 2017, and ended in Monterrey, Mexico in December 2018.
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After years of collaborations, Lucius returned to their own music with their fourth studio album,Second Nature, on April 8, 2022.SecondNature was produced byDave Cobb andBrandi Carlile and released on theMom + Pop Music label. The lead single "Next to Normal" was released simultaneously with the album announcement on January 11, 2022,[4] followed by three other singles "White Lies", "Heartbursts", and "Dance Around It"–a dance song that featuresSheryl Crow and Brandi Carlile.
In a press release, Lucius member Jess Wolfe stated that the album derived from the personal experiences of grief that she and the rest of the band experienced during the pandemic, further adding that the album's musical direction was intended for the band to "[dance their] way through the darkness".[26]
Second Nature earned Lucius a nomination for Best Pop Record from The American Association of Independent Music.[27]
On November 2, 2022, Lucius released "Muse" as a single.[28]
Lucius touredSecond Nature on their headlining North American tour throughout 2022 and 2023. They also toured withShakey Graves throughout summer 2023[29] and supportedGregory Alan Isakov in the fall.[30]
Lucius supportedThe War on Drugs andThe National in Summer and Fall 2024. During the tour Lucius performed "I Don't Live Here Anymore" with The War on Drugs.
Outside Lucius, Wolfe and Laessig have been involved in many albums as guest vocalists.
Lucius have composed music for multiple film and television projects. They scored the soundtrack forJake and Amir's web series,Lonely and Horny, released on Vimeo on April 8, 2016.[31] In January 2017, the band scoredZoe Lister-Jones' directorial debutBand Aid, which premiered at theSundance Film Festival. Lucius also wrote and performed an original song called "What's the Use in Crying?" inDavid Byrne's filmContemporary Color (2016).[32]
In May 2022, Lucius performed "Dance Around It" onThe Late Show with Stephen Colbert alongside Sheryl Crow and Brandi Carlile.[33]
In addition to their three 2023 Grammy nominations for Album of The Year (In These Silent Days), Record of the Year ("You and Me on the Rock"), and Best Americana Performance ("You and Me on the Rock"), Lucius joined Brandi Carlile on the Grammy stage for a performance of "Broken Horses".[34]
Lucius have released music as part of tribute projects. The band covered "When The Night Comes Falling From The Sky" for the compilation albumBob Dylan In the 80s: Volume One and "Uncle John's Band" for theGrateful Dead 2016 compilation albumDay of the Dead. In November 2018, Lucius contributed to a 7" vinyl series called the Fug Yep Soundation, launched in memory of the lateRichard Swift. The series aims to raise awareness for addiction and "bring community to those suffering" by donating to musician-focused organizationsMusiCares and Music Support UK.[35]
In 2021, samples from the songMadness[36] were featured in aninstallation with visual and sound artist Samuel Stubblefield, to be released in 2022.
Lucius has been lauded byThe New York Times for their "luscious, luminous, lilting lullabies",[37] praised by NPR for their "charisma and charm,"[38] and described byRolling Stone as "the best band you may not have heard yet."[39]
The Guardian featured Lucius as itsNew Band Of The Day on February 14, 2014, and described them as "the missing link betweenArcade Fire andHaim... How can they fail? They won't."[40] Economist andNew York Times columnistPaul Krugman is a noted fan of the band and has featured their music in his blog.[41][42]
The two frontwomen are also known for their synchronous style that exudes an "idiosyncratic visual persona"[43] in their choice of dress, stage set up, and performance. The two even shared the same hairdresser,[44] although they have switched to identical wigs.
In December 2018, Lucius' albumNudes was named byRolling Stone as one of "11 Great Albums You Probably Didn't Hear in 2018."[45]
Most recently,Billboard regardedSecond Nature as "Full of lush production that's complemented by the chilling harmonies of Jess Wolfe and Holly Laessig".[46]Variety proclaims that, withSecond Nature, Lucius is "no longer 20 feet or even a couple yards from stardom, but re-claiming the spotlight for themselves."[47]
Former touring members
Touring members
| Title | Details | Peak chart positions | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US [50] | US Alt. [51] | US Indie [52] | US Rock [53] | BEL (FL) [54] | UK [55] | UK Indie [56] | |||
| Songs from the Bromley House |
| — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| Wildewoman |
| 150 | — | 36 | — | — | 101 | 15 | |
| Good Grief |
| 92 | 13 | 6 | 15 | 161 | — | 31 | |
| Second Nature |
| —[A] | — | — | — | — | —[B] | — | |
| Lucius | To be released | ||||||||
| "—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory. | |||||||||
| Title | Details | Peak chart positions | |
|---|---|---|---|
| US Sales [57] | US Indie [52] | ||
| Nudes |
| 76 | 12 |
| Single | Year | Peak chart positions | Album | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US AAA [60] | US Alt. [61] | US Rock Air. [62] | BEL (FL) Tip [54] | SWI Air [63] | UK Indie Break. [56] | ||||||
| "Hey Doreen" | 2013 | — | — | — | — | — | — | Wildewoman | |||
| "Tempest" | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||||
| "Turn It Around" | 16 | — | — | 74 | 92 | 14 | |||||
| "Don't Just Sit There" | 2014 | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||||
| "Born Again Teen" | 2015 | — | 33 | 46 | — | — | — | Good Grief | |||
| "Madness" | 2016 | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||||
| "Something About You" | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||||
| "Dusty Trails" | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||||
| "What We Have (To Change)" | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||||
| "Pulling Teeth" | — | — | — | — | — | — | Non-album single | ||||
| "Million Dollar Secret" | 2017 | — | — | — | — | — | — | Nudes | |||
| "Until We Get There (Acoustic)" | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||||
| "Neighbors" | 2018 | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||||
| "Right Down the Line" | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||||
| "Eventually" | — | — | — | — | — | — | Non-album single | ||||
| "Next to Normal" | 2022 | 5 | — | 39 | — | — | — | Second Nature | |||
| "White Lies" | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||||
| "Dance Around It"[64] (featuringBrandi Carlile andSheryl Crow) | 31 | — | — | — | — | — | |||||
| "Old Tape" (featuringAdam Granduciel) | 2024 | 12 | — | — | — | — | — | Non-album single | |||
| "Gold Rush"[59] | 2025 | 17 | — | — | — | — | — | Lucius | |||
| "—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory. | |||||||||||
| Single | Year | Peak chart positions | Album | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US AAA [60] | US Alt. [61] | US Rock [65] | BEL (FL) Tip [54] | CAN Rock [66] | GER DL [67] | ICE [68] | NED Air [69] | SWI Air [63] | UK DL [70] | ||||
| "Coolin' Out" (Nathaniel Rateliff featuring Lucius) | 2018 | — | — | — | 13 | — | — | — | — | — | — | Tearing at the Seams | |
| "Back to Me" (Grace Potter featuring Lucius) | 2020 | 28 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Daylight | |
| "Strangers"[71] (Black Pumas featuring Lucius) | 2021 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Non-album single | |
| "I Don't Live Here Anymore" (The War on Drugs featuring Lucius) | 1 | 16 | 43 | — | 38 | 77 | 39 | 24 | 79 | 95 | I Don't Live Here Anymore | ||
| "The Getting By II"[72] (The Killers featuring Lucius) | 2022 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Pressure Machine | |
| "You and Me on the Rock" (Brandi Carlile featuring Lucius) | 19 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | In These Silent Days | ||
| "—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory. | |||||||||||||
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| National | |
| Artists | |
| Other | |
