In a staggering display of productivity, Nate Amos follows up his solo debut and a successful Water From Your Eyes release with Holo Boy, his second album as This Is Lorelei. The LP is a collection of 10 re-recorded highlights from the project’s early, “demo idea sandbox” era (2014-2021), yet it sounds remarkably breezy and self-assured, seamlessly uniting disparate cuts with a clear sense of humor and an ear for hooks.
Amos aimed to re-examine this extensive back catalog in a new light. Unlike the experimental variety of his previous album, Box for Buddy, Box for Star, Holo Boy employs a holistic approach that places the songwriting center stage. Earlier slowcore tracks and power-pop tunes alike become bolder and shinier as Amos cranks up the vocals and guitars. This intentional sonic polish elevates the Lorelei universe’s characteristic humorous self-effacement, suggesting a new confidence and compassion for the person who originally recorded the tracks.
This sense of reinterpretation is powerfully demonstrated in the track transformations. On the original “I Can’t Fall,” anxiety was imbued through quavering strings; the new version features Amos crooning in his lower register, with a richer orchestral swell that leans into a Beach Boys-esque grandeur. Likewise, “Dreams Away” sheds its resignation, gaining vital force and sounding genuinely excited about its message: “I’ve been sleeping all my life/And now I gotta wake up.”
When Amos embraces the polish, the results are highly effective. The lead single “Name the Band” is transformed from a jangly affair by adding bass and beefing up the boy-band guitars. And by letting his voice lead on “This Is a Joke,” the project’s former blasé act gives way to undeniably charming vulnerability. The only questionable update is “Mouth Man,” where sanding down the original’s atonal chaos diminishes its tightly controlled, bizarre energy.
Coming at a crucial moment in Amos’s career—one marked by sobriety and re-evaluation—Holo Boy is strangely moving. It’s a project that affirms he has found genuine joy in taking This Is Lorelei seriously, ready to both poke fun at the singer-songwriter trope and wholeheartedly affirm its importance.
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