When you’ve made an entire career out of rejecting genre conformities and breaking the mold whenever possible, it’s only a matter of time before a proper debut project comes along and takes those talents on another plane of existence. That happens to be the case for singer-songwriter and NiNE8 Collective founding member Lava La Rue, whose new album, STARFACE, aims high and embraces the cosmos for all the genre-bending splendor that comes with it. Along with being a conceptual project centered around a gender-fluid alien who comes to Earth to understand humans’ self-destructive nature, La Rue’s artistry is where the spotlight remains, offering a glimpse at the musician’s life and grand vision.

Although Lava La Rue is most widely known in their native London, that’s not stopping them from venturing overseas and touring in the States. With an opening slot on the September leg of Remi Wolf’s Big Ideas tour nearing closer and closer, which includes a date at the Santa Barbara Bowl on Sept. 10, they will also be playing their first two headlining shows in LA at The Roxy on Sept. 30 and NYC at the Music Hall of Williamsburg on Oct. 2.

Blurring Between Stories Fictional and Personal

Any given track on STARFACE could stand on its own, but the entire experience is connected by the engaging narrative marked by genuine emotions so impassioned they must come from real-life experiences. The lead single “Push N Shuv” is perhaps the best example, detailing the conflicted feelings fuelling the desperate grasp at keeping someone by your side before they throw you away. Admittedly, the song requires no additional listens to understand the message fully, but the lyrics will stick long after that initial reaction, especially the lines “I can’t love you like you want me to / But I still love you all the same.” Similarly, “Humanity” follows what seems to be a true story about a former classmate plagued by vices that take place in the far future. Uniquely, the song places the story in the context of humanity as a whole, examining what happens when there’s no immediate solution to your problems, which applies to today’s world.

Seamless Collaborations

From the optimistic funk duet between La Rue and Cuco on “Better” to Courtney Love’s unexpected contribution on “Change,” the album’s features further reaffirm La Rue’s ability to pull from a broad spectrum of inspirations and cohesively bring them together. Additionally, everyone involved in the creation of STARFACE shows sides to their music that are not commonly seen. “INTERPLANETARY HOPPIN” featuring Korean artist So!YoOn! reveals a slightly darker edge from the two, where they lament over guitar shredding filtered through dreamy effects. So!YoOn! stands as one of the most showstopping collaborators, matching the eclecticism La Rue flourishes within.

While every artist gets their moment, it’s all in service of La Rue, who guides listeners on a journey of self-discovery from a self-assured songwriter. “STARFACE’s Descent” and “FLUORESCENT / Beyond Space” exemplify the tailor-made contributions on each track, with the former featuring artist and fellow Londoner tendai in a transportive, self-contained journey surrounded by strings and ricocheting drums. The volume of collaborations was entirely purposeful, proving why crafting such a varied record is a team effort that requires a multi-faceted creative leading the charge.

“I approached it in the way I learned through coming up in NiNE8: making it feature-heavy,” said La Rue. “I’ve gone out of my way to get a featured artist that is a part of every continent or culture that influenced my music taste, from alt K-pop in Korea, to psychedelic Chicano music, to the Irish music scene, to my London family.”

Traveling & Conquering Every Corner of Music

The fact that the glitzy, funk-inflicted bragging of “Aerial Head” can coexist alongside the gentle marriage between acoustics and roaring instrumentation on “Second Hand Sadness” featuring yunè pinku should put any doubt over La Rue’s capabilities to explore a multitude of genres successfully. Even though fans shouldn’t be surprised by the experimentation, STARFACE is where La Rue operates on another level reserved for those confident in their voice coming through, regardless of genre. As previously mentioned, “Aerial Head” combines alt-rock, psychedelia, and a hard-to-deny pop melody in a spacey swirl filled with laser ray sounds. On the other side of the universe, “Push N Shuv” taps into hip-hop for a breezy love song that transitions into a catchy R&B jam. Despite their differences, what both have in common is the fact that they’re easily standout tracks on a strong and genuinely adventurous debut.

While there’s no denying the musicianship La Rue possesses, it’s also important to point out their hand in other creative lanes, ranging from creative direction at NiNE8 to music video directing. Their already impressive track record before the release of STARFACE proved they wielded the kind of creativity that lends artists their staying power for years to come. In that regard, the debut could be interpreted as a victory lap of sorts, bringing in even more deserved attention to La Rue and what’s likely another six years to look forward to.

Words: David Sosa

Visit Lava La Rue on their website and Instagram to stay updated on new releases and tickets to their upcoming tour with Remi Wolf and their LA show at The Roxy on Sept. 30.

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Lava La Rue 2024 Tour Dates:

September 10 — Santa Barbara Bowl — Santa Barbara, CA
September 11 — Frost Amphitheater — Stanford, CA
September 13 — Edgefield — Troutdale, OR
September 14 — The Orpheum — Vancouver, BC
September 18 — Palace Theatre — St. Paul, MN
September 19 — Aragon Ballroom — Chicago, IL
September 20 — Royal Oak Music Theatre — Royal Oak, MI
September 22 — Kemba Live (fka Express Live) — Columbus, OH
September 24 — MGM Music Hall at Fenway — Boston, MA
September 26 — Stage AE — Pittsburgh, PA
September 27 — The Fillmore Philadelphia — Philadelphia, PA
September 30 — The Roxy — Los Angeles, CA
October 2 — Music Hall of Williamsburg —  New York, NY