Night Teacher

“Maybe the person you currently are can’t survive something,” says Lilly Bechtel. “But a new person could. So, you become that person.” Bechtel, the songwriter and vocalist behind the indie recording project Night Teacher, works with producer and collaborator Matt Wyatt to create a gritty, propulsive, and off-kilter sonic world with comparisons spanning Margaret Glaspy, Thom Yorke, Cate Le Bon. Her sophomore record Year of the Snake refers to the Chinese Zodiac of 2025—a time for transformation, and the album is a glowing invitation to grow, an illumination of the animal motivations that compel us forward, and a reminder to hold space for the process. Bechtel wrote the album through a phase of notable personal hardship—family challenges, a breakup, a relapse after twelve years of sobriety, all intensified by the isolation of Covid. “I kept asking myself, ‘Can I survive this?’” The project's moniker nods to Bechtel's preferred professional setting—she has worked as a trauma-informed yoga instructor for the past 15 years—but more poignantly, to the nature of the lesson. As Bechtel puts it, “Pain can be a teacher. It can have some really important things to tell you—if you’re willing to listen.” Year of the Snake will be released October 31st via First City Artists.


“a warm, gritty fever dream of heartbreak, transience, and self-discovery" — Atwood Magazine

“at the intersection of experimental doom-folk and electronic groove, where Lilly’s mesmerizing voice and piercing lyrics create a sense of depth and movement” — Voxwave Magazine

“The combination of groove and drama makes
for a moody, sensual sound” — Various Small Flames