Lala Lala releases new synth pop album ‘Heaven 2’
The new album is the ideal blend of dreamy and melancholic perfection.
★★★★★
Photo: Ariel Fish
London-born Lala Lala, AKA pop artist Lillie West, has released her fourth studio album, Heaven 2. The album chronicles her many moves across countries and through defining life experiences, tracking feelings of letting go and looking forward. Heaven 2 will also be her first release under Sub Pop.
The album was written in between Chicago and New Mexico, a transition from fast to slow that is represented sonically throughout. In the album’s opener, Car Anymore, her music already moves, the piano jumping back and forth and the opening line “get me out of America” creates a sense of instability. The track ramps up into a fast drum beat and peripheral synths that create the sounds of driving fast and reminiscing.
The journey continues with Where Mountains Erode, where Lala Lala’s voice affirms itself, sounding brighter as she sings, “If there’s nothing for me / Then I’m willing to leave.” The track enacts a sense of motion towards something calmer and more hopeful, which the album continually reaches for.
Arrow is high energy, taking up the full space of the album’s third track with its techno-forward sound. Using the idea of the arrow as moving fast in one direction, an image that she doubles down within the track’s bridge and echoing vocals, Arrow actively moves into a new stage, refreshing and fun.
Directly after, Tricks changes pace into something darker, with lines that second-guess: “I’m not in my body / Can’t face what I can’t see.” The track also employs smooth-flowing strings so far unheard on the album. A change of sound and scape, Tricks creates its own kind of highlight in the album’s first half.
The fifth track, Scammer, returns to a choppy, synthy sound that disorients in the best way. A midpoint in the album’s progression, the song separates itself as something dreamy and far away, cementing Lala’s depth of sound, experimentation, and undeniable talent.
The album’s title track then kicks off its second half. Heaven2 uses simplistic percussion and melancholy vocals to emphasise subtle talent and intense sadness. With lines like “I’m forever broken” and “Love is always a war,” Lala forms a ballad that’s simply relatable and stunningly fantastical.
Anywave brings back a brighter sound that juxtaposes its lyrics, which start dark, then turn more hopeful: “I existed before we met and I will exist once again.” This track is a turning point for the album, once again using a slightly chaotic sound to carry listeners into a different scene.
Anywave is followed by Does This Go Faster?, a track which is the clear epitome of transition and finding yourself in a new space. Lala’s fatigued tone singing “I don’t live here / I don’t live anywhere” can strike a chord with any young adult who feels like they live only in a state of transition and questioning. The track acted as the album’s single and was released along with an accompanying music video in 2025.
In the album’s final stretch, This City combines with Wyoming Dirt to finally deliver a sense of conclusion and stability. This City talks about the struggle of leaving an old place behind. Its heavy beats lend to a track that is equal parts energetic and emotional.
All of the album’s emotions culminate most in its final track, Wyoming Dirt. Eerily simplistic, Heaven 2’s closer leaves listeners with a sense of uncertainty about the future, but an assurance that it will work out. An unexpected ending to this emotionally and artistically packed album. Heaven 2 is vivid, lively, and undeniably cool. Lala Lala makes a name for herself as a pop artist in this album alone and is definitely one to watch for in 2026.
Heaven 2 is out now via Sub Pop Records.