Dancing In The Club: This Is Lorelei Live In Brooklyn
Poster for This Is Lorelei's concert in Brooklyn. Credit: This Is Lorelei
No recent musician boasts a discography as extensive and overlooked as This Is Lorelei. Since 2014, over a dozen albums have landed on streaming, and until recently, only one became well-known. After songwriter Nate Amos received attention for his marvelous 2024 LP Box for Buddy, Box for Star, he realized the first decade of his career deserved recognition.
On December 12, Amos released Holo Boy, a collection of rerecorded Lorelei tracks from past albums. Holo Boy exists on the same dreamy wavelength as Box for Buddy, but holds a more retro indie pop feel. To celebrate, he played a one-off, very sold-out gig at Music Hall of Williamsburg.
Californian six-piece Dutch Interior opened the show, decorating the room with a jammed-out twang. Serving as a steady opener for Amos, they mainly pulled from their new album Moneyball, one of 2025’s best.
In his off time, Amos serves as the guitarist and songwriter for Water From Your Eyes. During Lorelei’s live sets, he borrows Al Nardo (bass) and Bailey Wollowitz (drums), who hold down the beat for Amos to go off-kilter.
“A Song That Sings About You” began the show, a fitting track for a hometown show, which addresses the difficulties of endless touring. “I said Jesus Christ, not this again // I said all these cities look the same without you.” Amos’s lyrics are layered but crystal clear. Box For Buddy houses his most inventive stanzas, which are the glue for his tendency to enlist whimsical and dancey arrangements.
Calling Amos a lavish songwriter is nothing new; earlier this year, his track “Dancing In The Club” became an instant indie anthem after MJ Lenderman gave it a whirl. While MJ’s version resides in a Manning Fireworks state of mind, the Lorelei version is an uptempo pop thriller that races to the end.
While Amos’s snappy pace is easy listening, it can camouflage some of his finest lyrics, riddled with double entendres. “While I was singing Steely Dan // Crying ‘Shake it’ in the wind // Yeah, a loser never wins // And I’m a loser, always been.”
Although Holo Boy is constructed with tracks older than Box For Buddy, the writing is just as sharp. The entire set blended the two albums, with highlights including “I Can’t Fall” and “Mouth Man.” The former is ideal for a fall drive or a quiet stroll at dusk; creating moments like these is something Amos excels at—every Lorelei track is reminiscent of a universal experience.
“Mouth Man” is unlike the rest of Holo Boy; it’s crunchy and booming, and feels like it’s ripped straight off a Water From Your Eyes record. In the studio, it gets a little oversaturated, but Amos found a sweet spot while playing it live. Karly Hartzman of Wednesday recently said the track features “the best sounds of 2025.”
Praise from other big names in the indie scene is frequent for This Is Lorelei. In August, Waxahatchee covered Amos’s most forthcoming epic, “Where’s Your Love Now.” During a recent solo set, Cameron Winter covered the song, somehow increasing the devastation Amos endures.
Nate Amos is finally receiving his flowers for his songwriting, and Holo Boy shows that his talents go way back. This Is Lorelei is a must-see act, and the best way to spend a night dancing (in the club).
The new This Is Lorelei album, Holo Boy, is out now via Double Double Whammy.