Cumulus Shares New Single 'Teenage Plans'

Cumulus shares the new single "Teenage Plans," the latest offering from the forthcoming album Something Brighter due October 21 via Share It Music. Cumulus will celebrate the album's release that same day with a show at The Fremont Abbey in Seattle.

The creative outlet for musician Alexandra Lockhart, Cumulus' past two albums have won wide ranging praise from the likes of Stereogum, Interview, Consequence, NPR Music, Atwood Magazine, PASTE, KEXP, Brooklyn Vegan, and more. Seated criss-cross applesauce on the floor with an acoustic guitar, surrounded by her cats and overflowing piles of cardboard, "Teenage Plans," came to life.

"Sitting in the house on a Saturday night / unpacking boxes to ease my mind / I find a ticket stub and a diary / lost in a fog of memory." The soft, twinkling guitar ballad finds Cumulus nostalgic for the halcyon days of youth and wistful for the years that have yet, but soon too, will pass by.

"I was literally unpacking boxes in my first apartment with my now husband, thinking about all of the life events that led us to this moment," shares Lockhart. "I thought about my teenage years going to shows at the Department of Safety in Anacortes, the years I spent touring the country, the family that my brother was building, just the passing of time and how crazy it is. This song is summed up by the ridiculous truth that hard times feel like they stretch on forever, but when things start getting good- it can unfairly, already feel over. You have to really intentionally savor the beauty in front of you and try your best to live in those moments. It's also just about gratitude for having such vibrant memories of diy music venues, teenage rebellion, a beautiful family, and people to love."

The new track follows the previously released singles "Better Kind of Love (Silver Lining)," and "Sunbeam," which arrived alongside the album announcement and is featured in a music video that Atwood Magazine praised as, "...a radiant and resounding outpouring from the heart and the lead single off her highly anticipated third album."

Something Brighter sees Alexandra a world away from the creative burnout she felt at the end of 2019. At the time, she had just wrapped up what would be the final leg of touring in support of the sophomore album Comfort World, and found herself questioning what might come next. Rather than pursuing stage lights at the expense of a personal life, Alexandra was craving stability and balance. Not an uncommon desire for seasoned musical artists at the end of an album campaign.

Falling in love, and moving from Seattle back to her college town of Bellingham, WA made even the most basic life details nostalgic. All of a sudden she was separated from her bandmates, building an emotionally mature partnership with her soon to be husband, and was surrounded by the scenery that inspired her to become a songwriter over 10 years ago. There was something ripe for reflection in moving back to the town where her creative life began, in an effort to build something completely new.

With the distance between Seattle and Bellingham providing an insulating cushion, Alexandra was able to keep creative momentum moving by collaborating via email with her bandmate William Cremin. Simultaneously she was starting a new career, so working remotely made keeping music in her life more attainable and less daunting. Music felt less like business, and more about genuine fun and experimentation. In another shift, she abandoned the guitar for musical typing and midi loops, building confidence in her ability to flesh out a recording with only voice and keys, enough for William to understand her overall vision and add his arrangement and production ideas.

Fast forward a few months to 2020, and all of a sudden the world was paused in a surreal way. The language that William and Alex had developed by writing and recording remotely, was now a necessity and a lifeline. With more time to dwell on her thoughts than ever- Alexandra dug into the archives of her voice memos and Garageband recordings. Enlisting Andrew Vait as a co-arranger, co-writer, and lead producer, the demos started going via email from Alexandra, to Wiliam, to Andrew and coming back as fully realized songs- suddenly there was enough for a record.

Eventually, with a full album's worth of songs and covid-tests largely available, studio time was possible. Andrew and Alexandra spent 3 days in the Hall of Justice, laying down vocals and tracking drums and guitars with bandmates Tom Fitzgibbon and Sebastien Deramat, Zooming in William as he and his wife were expecting their first baby.

Gratitude and the bittersweetness of learning from the past are in the undercurrent of every song on Something Brighter. What a beautiful thing to make mistakes and learn from them; to heal wounds, to love deeply, and to dance in your underwear. Despite being written and recorded during some of the scariest and darkest of times, these songs unequivocally reach for the light.

Listen to the new single here:

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