Lauv

Is Pop Perfection In ‘All 4 Nothing’

By Amanda Leopizzi & Lulu Moore

Lauv, the pop sensation behind hit songs “I’m so tired…” and “I Like Me Better,” is preparing for the release of his second studio album, ‘All 4 Nothing,’ later this week. The artist shares how the album exceeded his expectations, describing it as a self-explorative work inspired by a challenging time: not only in his life but in the world as a whole. We recently had the opportunity to gain more insight into the creative process that inspired the album.

‘All 4 Nothing’ is only Lauv’s third full-length project, and his desire to explore new writing and production avenues is successful and evident throughout. He shared that the project is his least filtered work to date.

“I think the change is all in the process,” he said. “I was never freestyling in any way before; I was just writing normally.” Lauv further elaborated on the songwriting shift. “[I thought]: ‘I’m not going to think, I’m just gonna turn the microphone on for five or ten minutes while these chords are playing in the background, and I’m just going to see if the whole song comes out.’” Most of the album became just that – enjoying the pleasure of unfiltered creativity.

“Molly In Mexico,” one of the tracks on the album, is the very definition of this. The song embodies his desire to simply share the intricacies of his life without polishing his work. This creative process reminded him that it is okay to be vulnerable in his music.

This vulnerability bridged the collaborative process of his work. Instead of controlling the production as he typically would, he let a few of his trustworthy friends produce the tracks while he stayed focused on the songwriting. The practice of surrendering control helped inspire and create “Bad Trip,” a song off the album that was definitely a new experience for him.

Lauv stays true to the artist we all know and love in ‘All 4 Nothing’ while noticeably entering a different element and pushing the boundaries of his artistry. “[The album is] pretty much me being in my mid to late twenties,” he explained, “[and] realizing that I had this big dream in my life that I chased and reached a certain level but felt really empty on the inside. This is basically me on a journey to try to find my own inner light again, and the ups and downs of trying to find that [light] after feeling really out of touch with my true self.”

Recognized as a visual artist with vulnerable lyrics, Lauv expressed that this project is more of the same. The artist described ‘All 4 Nothing’ as something to listen to at both the beach and in the mountains. “I see this scene in my head with like grass and mountains in the background but somehow there’s a beach there too,” he said. “I don’t know how it’s possible, but it would be so sick.”

Next month, Lauv begins his upcoming tour with special guest Hayley Kiyoko – his first tour since the beginning of the pandemic. The artist shared his excitement to release and perform many of the songs off his two most recent albums. 

Overall, ‘All 4 Nothing’ is a self-reflective piece that exists in duality, delving into both good and bad emotions. His songs encourage being true to yourself, vulnerability, free expression, and finding your inner child and light. Lauv is clearly taking his foot off the brakes and is hitting the gas pedal full throttle. If there is one last thing to know about this album, it is that Lauv describes it as feeling like the color poop brown–do what you will with that.