Today, the Minnesota-raised, Vermont-based artist Lutalo shortly follows their acclaimed debut album The Academy (see praise from FADER, Rolling Stone UK), and opening dates for Nilüfer Yanya and Interpol with new single “I Figured.” Lutalo will hit the road again for a North American headline tour this month, full dates below. Watch / listen to “I Figured” HERE.

While on their debut album Lutalo vividly painted a highly personalized analysis of the ever-hopeful yet often alienating American Dream, they allow themself to look closer at love and lust on “I Figured.” The subject matter lends to a slightly dreamier sonic palate, with plucked acoustic guitar figures driving the dark undertones and vivid storytelling.

Of the single, Lutalo says, “‘I Figured’ is about a ‘situationship’ that likely should not be, yet still find themselves coming back to each other. There is a bit of resentment and tension between both people, but when it comes to turning each other down they still end up falling for each other. Maybe it’s love, maybe it’s lust. Even going as far as seeing ‘two elevens’ as a sign they should continue on this path.”

Watch the official “I Figured” video here.

According to The Guardian, Lutalo’s got a gift for crafting “fuzzed-out sharp edges reminiscent of TV On The Radio;” The FADER describes lead single “Ocean Swallows Him Whole” as “a pleasing turn into a surly form of post-punk complete with chugging bass lines and a striking synth rattle,” while the newsletter Inbox Infinity calls the sound “tastefully updated mid-2000s alt-rock.” 

Lutalo tells their stories with a modern folk voice a la Bob Dylan or King Krule, combed through with grunge guitar tones and a distinct deftness for melody and pace. Playing every instrument on The Academy, Lutalo crafts an album that serves as a potent backdrop to their literarily assembled character sketches and personal reckonings. Throughout, Lutalo’s exhibits an earnest and unsentimental curiosity about the world, dredging up empathy for anyone navigating their way through it. CLASH, Inbox Infinity, No Expectations, and more all included The Academy on their 2024 year-end lists, while Interview published their insightful chat on touring with Nilüfer Yanya.

Named after the St. Paul, MN school they attended on scholarship — the same school F. Scott Fitzgerald attended and famously dissected throughout his work — The Academy  marks a period of re-invigoration and self-actualization for Lutalo. Diverging from the gentler sounds of last year’s AGAIN EP or their collab with bedroom pop phenom Claud on “Running” from early 2024, The Academy is an altogether knottier and bloodier affair that traverses down fresh sonic avenues while maintaining Lutalo’s idiosyncratic voice. What results is a beguiling and visceral amalgam of rock, folk, post-punk, and soul paired with nuanced and humanizing observations on class disparity, privilege, and more informed by their time as an interloper into the elite world of The Academy.

“I Figured” expands that personal journey as a reminder that Lutalo isn’t going anywhere. The well of creativity and sincerity within them is limitless, and they make music in the hopes that they can connect with those who need it. Currently building a personal studio in the deep woods in rural Vermont, Lutalo is constantly cooking up more. Don’t miss them on tour this winter, dates below.