• News

• All

Sep 19, 2024 By Caleb Campbell Photography by Frances Carter

New Zealand-born, Los Angeles-based singer/songwriter Alisa Xayalith is likely best known as the frontwoman for the 2010s synth pop outfit, The Naked and Famous. The band went on hiatus following their 2020 record Recover, but Xayalith has ventured off on a solo career in recent years, making her solo debut in 2022 with her EP, Superpowers. She returned earlier this year with a new single, “Roses,” her first release after signing with Nettwerk. Today, she’s back with another new track, “Boys & Guitars,” premiering with Under the Radar.

“Boys & Guitars” is a warm and shimmering effort that offers a nostalgic showcase for Xayalith’s talent for synth pop melody. The track opens with bubbly guitar lines and atmospheric production before steadily blooming into a dazzling chorus dotted with sparkling synths and airy vocal acrobatics. The instrumentation gallops forward, yet the track is coated in a muted, dreamy sheen, with Xayalith’s vocals nestled in a soft focus dream pop haze.

Meanwhile, Xayalith’s lyrics take a bittersweet look back at toxic fandom and teenage crushes: “I knew nothing about love / I was fanatical, making it up / Careful what you wish for / It’s not make believe like before / Please don’t leave me wanting more / Obsessive to the core / Psychotic dopamine you bring out of me / Don’t you wanna know the sea of possibilities / A kiss of death or maybe we were meant to be.”

Xayalith says of the track, “‘Boys & Guitars’ was inspired by one of my favorite songs by The Carpenters, ‘Superstar,’ and the iconic music couples like Yoko Ono and John Lennon, and Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham. When I wrote this song with Mona Khoshoi and Austin Ward, I reflected on my past as a young girl, newly obsessed with what my possibilities in music could be, and curious about boys who played guitar in bands. ‘Boys & Guitars’ delves into the hopeless romance of doomed daydreams and wishful thinking.”

Check out the song and accompanying visualizer below. “Boys & Guitars” is out on September 20th via Nettwerk.