This Is Lorelei

Transformation is a funny thing. In seeking self-improvement, we parse through our inner angels and demons, designating our better tendencies as core parts of our identity and dismissing problem areas as reflections of past selves we’re bound to outgrow—as if both sides aren’t integral parts of us. Personal growth can be a tricky and disingenuous prospect—often further muddied by capitalism, armchair psychologists and religious zealots—but it’s also an essential, life-affirming process worth enduring. Box for Buddy, Box for Star, the latest album from This Is Lorelei, explores this conundrum, functioning both as an earnest transformative exercise and a tongue-in-cheek takedown of the illusion of transformation.