In this interview feature, we get to know the most radicalist up and coming stars on the planet.   

This time we talk to Hannah Read, who is also known by her musical alter-ego Lomelda.

When describing what Lomelda means to her, Hannah Read says “you’d probably end up with some kind of non-answer and a new topic”. It’s this sense of mystery and intrigue which has led both Read and Lomelda to great success, first with her stunning Forever LP and subsequently with a live solo performance album, 4E. Consistent across her releases is Read’s voice - striking, stirring and captivating. Steeped in history and heavily influenced by her long interstate journeys from her native Texas, her lyrics circle widely around the romance of the road, folklore tales and stories from her youth.

More recently, Lomelda has been signed to tastemaker label Double Double Whammy, with whom she is about to release a new album, Thx. Already this year we have been treated to the textured and spacious ‘Interstate Vision’, followed closely by ‘Out There’ which is about a fictitious story Read’s brother told her about smokey rockstar Elliott Smith, and more recently the heartbreaking ‘From Here’. Fresh off the back of a tour earlier this year, Lomelda is about to hit the road again, this time with Pinegrove and Florist.

We caught up with Read to talk Thx, basketball and what she has on her car stereo for those long journeys on the road.

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TMR: For those who can’t wait until September 8^th, how would you describe your new album Thx, which is coming out via Double Double Whammy?

Thx is small. It’s a whole lot of me, but that’s small in this ol’ timespace universe. It deals with big emotions, sadness, anger, loss, loneliness, but I hope it makes you feel small, wrapped up, hugged, thankful, at peace. The drumming on this record is really special — performed by Zachary Daniel. And I’m also really proud of the production — by me and my brother Tommy Read, which hopefully brings you in, lets you feel close and at ease enough to feel all that you feel.

TMR: When you describe Lomelda, it seems to encapsulate much more than just the musical identity of yourself, Hannah Read. What else does Lomelda represent? 

Lomelda is always saying goodbye. I have trouble keeping up. But I’ll keep it up as long as I can. I actually started running recently, to deal with anxiety and to get better at basketball, so maybe I’ll reach it one day. And be at peace in Lomelda forever.

TMR: I’ve read in the press that for you, Lomelda has been about forming friendship and connection. Can you describe some of the people you have met along your journey and how they have influenced the making of this album?

I made this album with my brother Tommy Read, who has influenced my music and my whole life. He is an incredible songwriter, engineer and producer. Collaborating with him made the record sound the way it does, no doubt. And actually, he let me re-shape one of his songs for this record. It’s my favorite song on the album. My other partner making this record was Zachary Daniel, who performs all the percussion on Thx. His attention to detail when writing these parts was super crucial for this batch of songs. We wanted to leave space for you to deep sit in the emotions of the songs if you want, which required a calmness we hadn’t attempted before. The subtle ways he was able to add or release tension, with the parts and the tones, really makes the record for me.

TMR: You grew up in Silsbee, a small town in Hardin County, Texas. Whilst the surroundings and constant travelling across state has obviously affected your lyric writing, were there any local bands, artists or venues which shaped you musically?

I was a loner to be honest. But ya, definitely. I grew up playing bass in my brother’s band. We often played up the road in Beaumont, TX, at a place called the Log-On Café (a bar / restaurant where you can pay to use a PC with internet). There was a group of the sweetest, crazy talented Mormon kids who played the best sad heavy dark rock and roll. A ton of different bands with all the same kids. I loved all of them. And then the folk songers like my buddy Eric Adams, making simple, mostly soft expressions on little life moments, just for the deep beautiful archives of Bandcamp. Consider me shaped.

TMR: You seem to spend a lot of time on the road travelling. What’s on the stereo while you’re on a road trip?

On my last long trip I think we listened to Stephen Steinbrink’s Arranged Waves 7 or 8 times.



TMR: I saw on your Instagram someone once asked you ‘is Lomelda like… your evil self?’. Does Lomelda have a dark side, do you ever find any tension between Lomelda and Hannah Read?

I haven’t figured it out yet.

TMR: Your lyrics shapeshift endlessly between descriptions of the everyday and spiritual, for example those in ‘Out There’ which are based on a fantasy story your brother regaled about smoking with songwriter Elliott Smith. How much does the boundary between fantasy and reality influence your lyric writing?

I haven’t thought much about that boundary. I focus on an experience, the way my senses received it, the way my memory reformed it, the way a phrase can contain it. So yes, there’s room for both, some fantasy and some reality, in there. But that dilemma is in every telling — so small and concrete but so sweeping and abstract. And in every seeing — reflections and manipulations, light triggering electricity, the mind’s eye, it’s wild. But it’s real, constant, human, what do I do about that. How do I be real and not talk about that. Have I gone too far? Am I still answering the question? I guess my point is, it doesn’t feel like a dichotomy to me, the fantasy and the reality in a situation. It’s difficult to separate them out. It’s all made, made up, we are making it, I’m making me, making some, that’s all.

TMR: You’re just about to embark on a tour with Pinegrove and Florist. Those artists aside, if you could go on tour with any artist or band from any era, who would it be and why?

Palm because they are the best band.

TMR: At times Thx feels highly introspective. How much during the writing process did you think how listeners might respond to the music?

I care a lot how listeners respond to the music. It is all about communication for me. But I don’t think about it a ton when writing. I free myself from thinking about it with the thought that if I make melodies and sounds that I like, that make me feel whatever emotion, then someone else might like ‘em and feel ‘em too. I don’t think I’m special so, I can trust that.

TMR: I’ve seen that you’re a big basketball fan. How do you unwind from the stresses involved in producing and touring an album? 

Yep. I ball every chance I get. I keep a basketball or two in my car. I take a basketball on tour. When I went on tour in Europe I bought one in Bristol the day before the first show. And deflated it at the end of the trip in the airport parking lot and stuffed it in my guitar case and flew home with it. There are hoops all over the world. Let’s shoot. Stay handle ready.

TMR: When you listen back to your Forever LP, which was released in 2015, it seems as though your music has shifted focus quite significantly. How did the process of writing Thx compare with that of Forever?

I keep writing about the same things. It’s still about getting close, feeling far, you and me. But it did feel different this time. Maybe Forever was a flail, and Thx is a fall. I tried for a little more gentleness with my own emos, at least. That still includes a lot of fight though, a lot of punching and cursing and fuming. Someone told me recently to breath into the pain, to show yourself that you can contain it and more. That kinda sounds like what I was trying to do this time.

TMR: What can we expect from Lomelda in the year to come?

You can expect me to play lots of shows and learn lots and record a whole lot of sounds. Let’s take it day by day though. Keep it up out there.



Thx is out 8^th September.

-Holly Manners