BIO

Lucius is family. When I first heard their tight and fluid harmonies in 2012, I figured Holly and Jess were siblings. Then I saw a photo with their matching hair and outfits, which reassured me. WRONG! Holly Laessig and Jess Wolfe are best friends. They met at Berklee College of Music in their teens, nearly 20 years ago.

The story of Lucius comes full circle on this new self-titled and self-produced album. It was loosely inspired by a recent re-recording of their debut album, Wildewoman, roughly ten years after its release. Jess Wolfe told me redoing that record “really struck a chord. It reminded us of who we were as a band when it all started, each of us integral to the sound. If one thing is off, it falls apart. That sort of vulnerability, playing on the edge, was a coming home, and solidified the decision to nurture that feeling again in the studio”.

Dan Molad is not only the drummer, and Pete Lalish not only the wild card guitar player; they both play synths, guitars, and bass, bringing inventive arrangements – with Dan producing, helping to establish and capture the sound and dynamics of the group.

When they got together to write, it was often talking through relationships, grief, and home life. Pete lost his mom to Parkinson’s; both Holly and Jess had miscarriages. There was also the divorce between Jess and Dan after seven years of marriage. More children were born; for Pete and for Jess, it was each of their first. So, the roots of this album are domestic, personal experiences.

In the past, Holly and Jess wrote most of the songs alone, though, for this album, they did much of it in the same room with Dan, creating tracks amidst the writing sessions; the creative spark flowed. As a band, they wanted to return to their own devices and not seek outside influence to bring their songs to fruition. “For the first time, Jess and Holly brought me into the room when songs were just seeds. And that’s been really exciting. I’ll connect one synth, dial up a sound, and tell Jess or Holly, ‘Go fiddle on this,’ and as they fiddle, then I fiddle,” says Dan.

Lucius often plays with duality, reflection, and symmetry, echoed in their onstage look, singing as one voice – “dressing the sound” as they call it. You can hear the personalities come through on this record; Holly is more of the introvert and Jess more of the extrovert, the balance between inner dialogue and an invitation.

The album opens with “Final Days,” a musically rousing but lyrically devastating cut. The opening line,

“I hope I didn’t let you down ’cause it’s too late to make a change.” The chorus is the gut punch. “Could’ve said I’m frightened but I couldn’t, I didn’t have the heart. Are you scared of dying?”

I assumed the subject was an aging parent. Holly started the lyrics with two parallel meanings. “I had to have a tree taken down in my yard; it was the biggest, oldest, most majestic in the neighborhood. I had dream plans for a treehouse…but ultimately, it became a safety hazard when it started to die. I sat in the yard the day before they came to take it down and started the verses from the beginning. Flipping between wondering if I had neglected this tree and let it down and laughing at myself for even thinking that I could hold that much power in a couple of years over something as grand as her. But as the words came out, they began to sound a lot like the human experience of loss and grief in general. We always love playing with duality and double meanings and taking simple or seemingly naive things like saying goodbye to a tree and, in the same breath, feeling the depth and potency of love and loss.”

The music performances on this entire record are filled with a craft that brings the most out of the words. This isn’t simply beats and melody while the singers tell a tale. The instruments intertwine in ways that are both organic and purposeful.

There are collaborations on this new album; it wasn’t done in complete isolation. Old friends visited and contributed to the Lucius family, including War On Drugs guitarist Adam Granduciel on the song “Old Tape,” Dawes’ Taylor Goldsmith on “Stranger Danger,” and a songwriting collaboration with Madison Cunningham along with Ethan Gruska for a tune titled, “Impressions.”

Following their 2013 debut, Lucius began playing more prominent stages, touring, and building a thriving and enthused fan base. At the Newport Folk Festival, they became a staple not only as a band, but with Holly and Jess joining My Morning Jacket, Brandi Carlile, Mavis Staples, John Prine, Paul Simon, Wilco, Joni Mitchell, and Pink Floyd’s Roger Waters.

Jess and Holly would later join Roger Waters’ tour, singing backup and recording an album with him and Nigel Godrich. They worked on other recordings with John Legend, Harry Styles, Sheryl Crow, Ozzy Osborne, Nathaniel Rateliff, The Killers, and the War On Drugs, to name a few. In 2022, Dave Cobb and Brandi Carlile helped produce their 3rd official release, Second Nature.

“We’ve loved working with some of the great producers of our time: Shawn Everett, Tony Berg, Richard Swift, John Congleton, Dave Cobb, and Brandi,” says Pete. “But it was important to get back to our home base with Danny at the helm producing; his patience and persistence in seeing a song through to the end. The soul of the band has always been about helping to bring Jess and Holly’s words, melodies, and harmonies to life and it was so nice to just revisit what Lucius has become for each of us over the years – less of a band and more of a family.” Those outside encounters and collaborations, plus their 18 years of deep friendship, have taken them home with 11 songs under one roof. It’s called Lucius.

– Bob Boilen, January, 2025

Credits

ARTIST: Lucius

TITLE: Lucius

LABEL: Fantasy Recordings

UPC: 888072668461

FAN02809

Produced by Dan Molad

Additional Production by Robert Shelton

Engineered by Rob Shelton and Dan Molad at Altamira Sound in Alhambra, CA and Sounds Like a Fire in Los Angeles, CA

Assistant Engineering by Alex Pfender

Mixed by Dan Molad at Sounds Like a Fire in Los Angeles, CA

Mix Assistance by Stella Hartmann on “Do It All For You” and “Borderline”

Additional Mixing by Alex Pfender on “Old Tape (feat. Adam Granduciel)”

Mastered by Emily Lazar at The Lodge in New York, NY

Cover Photo by Jack Davison

Inside Photos by Dana Trippe

Album Design and Illustrations by Tika Buchanan at Arkadia & Co.

Final Days (04:42)

(Jess Wolfe-Holly Laessig)

Published by Wildewoman Music (ASCAP), Administered by Kobalt Songs Music Publishing [for ASCAP] (KSMP)

Jess Wolfe: vocals

Holly Laessig: vocals

Dan Molad: moog matriarch, juno 106, sampling, drums, percussion, electric

guitar

Peter Lalish: acoustic guitars, electric guitars

Robert Shelton: piano

Doug Stuart: bass

Gold Rush (04:15)

(Jess Wolfe-Holly Laessig-Dan Molad)

Published by Wildewoman Music (ASCAP), Administered by Kobalt Songs Music Publishing [for ASCAP] (KSMP)

Jess Wolfe: vocals

Holly Laessig: vocals

Dan Molad: drums, percussion

Peter Lalish: electric guitars, acoustic guitars

Solomon Dorsey: bass

Jacob Galenski: electric guitar, tambourine

Robert Shelton: minimoog

Do It All For You (04:34)

(Jess Wolfe-Holly Laessig-Dan Molad)

Published by Wildewoman Music (ASCAP), Administered by Kobalt Songs Music Publishing [for ASCAP] (KSMP)

Jess Wolfe: vocals

Holly Laessig: vocals

Dan Molad: drums, percussion, korg poly ensemble, juno 106, vocals, tenor bass,

onde OM-1

Luke Temple: electric guitar

Josh Mease: acoustic guitar

Doug Stuart: electric bass, upright bass

Mad Love (03:54)

(Jess Wolfe-Holly Laessig-Dan Molad-Peter Lalish)

Published by Wildewoman Music (ASCAP), Administered by Kobalt Songs Music Publishing [for ASCAP] (KSMP)

Jess Wolfe: vocals

Holly Laessig: vocals

Dan Molad: mellotron, vocals

Peter Lalish: acoustic guitars

Robert Shelton: piano

Doug Stuart: bass

Adrian Olsen: modular synth

Stranger Danger (04:41)

(Jess Wolfe-Holly Laessig-Dan Molad)

Published by Wildewoman Music (ASCAP), Administered by Kobalt Songs Music Publishing [for ASCAP] (KSMP)

Jess Wolfe: vocals, yamaha cs-50

Holly Laessig: vocals, moog matriarch

Peter Lalish: electric guitar

Dan Molad: drums, percussion, programming, acoustic guitar, moog matriarch, juno 106

Solomon Dorsey: bass

Taylor Goldsmith: piano, electric guitar

Robert Shelton: hammond B3

Josh Mease: bass, tenor bass, acoustic guitar

Hallways (03:47)

(Jess Wolfe-Holly Laessig-Dan Molad)

Published by Wildewoman Music (ASCAP), Administered by Kobalt Songs Music Publishing [for ASCAP] (KSMP)

Jess Wolfe: vocals

Holly Laessig: vocals, piano

Dan Molad: mellotron, drums, sampling, electric guitars, juno 106

Peter Lalish: acoustic guitar, tenor bass

Solomon Dorsey: electric bass

Old Tape (feat. Adam Granduciel) (04:38)

(Jess Wolfe-Holly Laessig-Dan Molad-Oliver Hill)

Published by Wildewoman Music (ASCAP), Administered by Kobalt Songs Music Publishing [for ASCAP] (KSMP) and Doctor Pilgrim Songs (ASCAP) Administered by Downtown Music Publishing

Jess Wolfe: vocals

Holly Laessig: vocals, juno 106

Dan Molad: drums, acoustic guitar, electric guitar, bass, drum programming, moog matriarch, juno 106, vocals

Peter Lalish: acoustic guitar, electric guitar

Adam Granduciel: electric guitar, vocals

Oliver Hill: piano, prophet 6

Impressions (feat. Madison Cunningham) (03:46)

(Jess Wolfe-Holly Laessig-Madison Cunningham-Ethan Gruska)

Publisher/Publisher Wildewoman Music (ASCAP), Administered by Kobalt Songs Music Publishing [for ASCAP] (KSMP), Madison Cunningham / Artificial Blonde (ASCAP) Administered by Kobalt Music Publishing, and Hipgnosis Notes / Otis Redhead Music (ASCAP) (administered by Hipgnosis Songs Group)

Jess Wolfe: vocals

Holly Laessig: vocals

Dan Molad: acoustic guitar, juno 106, drums, percussion

Peter Lalish: electric guitars

Solomon Dorsey: upright bass, fretless electric bass

Madison Cunningham: electric guitar, vocals

Ethan Gruska: sampling

Borderline (03:46)

(Jess Wolfe-Holly Laessig-Dan Molad)

Published by Wildewoman Music (ASCAP), Administered by Kobalt Songs Music Publishing [for ASCAP] (KSMP)

Jess Wolfe: vocals

Holly Laessig: vocals

Dan Molad: drums, mellotron, percussion, electric guitars, vocals

Peter Lalish: electric guitar, vocals

Alex Pfender: acoustic guitars

Jacob Galenski: acoustic guitars

Robert Shelton: korg monopoly

Orange Blossoms (04:37)

(Jess Wolfe-Holly Laessig)

Published by Wildewoman Music (ASCAP), Administered by Kobalt Songs Music Publishing [for ASCAP] (KSMP)

Jess Wolfe: vocals

Holly Laessig: vocals

Dan Molad: bass, drums, moog matriarch, vocals

Peter Lalish: electric guitars, baritone guitars

Alex Pfender: acoustic guitar, vocals

Robert Shelton: korg trident, prophet 5, minimoog

At The End of The Day (03:17)

(Jess Wolfe-Holly Laessig-Dan Molad)

Published by Wildewoman Music (ASCAP), Administered by Kobalt Songs Music Publishing [for ASCAP] (KSMP)

Jess Wolfe: vocals

Holly Laessig: vocals

Dan Molad: acoustic guitars, bass, casio SK5

Robert Shelton: piano, korg monopoly

Rob Moose: strings

Evan Smith: flutes

Madison Cunningham appears courtesy of Verve Forecast.

Thank you forever, to our fans, families and friends

Artist Management: Ben Levin with Dalton Sim, Katie Lorenz, and Aliya Daniels for Good Harbor Music

ilovelucius.com

fantasyrecordings.com

℗ & © 2025 Wildewoman Music. Under exclusive license to Fantasy Records. Manufactured for and Distributed by Concord, 10 Lea Avenue, Suite 300, Nashville, TN 37210. All Rights Reserved. Unauthorized duplication is a violation of applicable laws. FAN02809

Lyrics

Final Days

I hope I didn’t let you down

‘Cause it’s too late to make a change

You’ve lived a hundred lives before me

So self-involved to think that I could hold that weight

Like a mother to them all,

With your arms stretched open wide

I hope you hear that heaven’s call

I hope they’re letting you inside

You look good like I remember

With all that sunshine on your face

I let you sit there without talking,

You let me sit there in your shade

You let me dream about the future

and all the plans we had to make

I hope I’m wrong about the after

and these are not your final days

Could’ve said I’m frightened but I couldn’t, I didn’t have the heart

Are you scared of dying? I couldn’t, I didn’t have the heart

So I said it’s waiting, your own true paradise

didn’t have the heart so I lied just to not see you cry

Yeah I didn’t, I didn’t have the heart

The world will go on spinning

Another day another scene

and I’ll be left with just a memory

and yesterday will be a dream

I’ll be looking out there for you

where all they see is empty sky

The space you left reminds me

that we don’t have to say goodbye

Could’ve said I’m frightened but I couldn’t, I didn’t have the heart

Are you scared of dying? I couldn’t, I didn’t have the heart

So I said it’s waiting, your own true paradise

didn’t have the heart, I didn’t have the heart

So I said it’s waiting, your own true paradise

didn’t have the heart so I lied just to not see you cry

Yeah I didn’t, I didn’t have the heart

Gold Rush

Heart of gold, heart in a cast

Happy times, times when we’re sad

I’ll never leave, I’ll never leave

Strong in mind, weak in the knees

Easy go, so hard to please

I’ll never leave, I’ll never leave

No such luck, too much to prove

So much love, too much to lose

I’ll never leave, I’ll never leave

Ask me why, leave me alone

Push and pull, feels right at home

I’ll never leave, I’ll never leave (gold rush)

Sugar rushes, honey, it’s high and low

You’ve got something sweeter than liquid gold

‘Til the end, right from the start

Act your age, stay young at heart

I’ll never leave, I’ll never leave

You and me, paving the way

Dreams come true, or the mundane

I wanna see, I wanna see

I’ll never leave, I’ll never leave

Sugar rushes, honey, it’s high and low

You’ve got something sweeter than liquid gold

Sugar rushes, honey, it’s high and low

You’ve got something sweeter than liquid gold

Sugar rushes, honey, it’s high and low

You’ve got something sweeter than liquid gold

Do It All For You

I lose myself to find you

and you save me every time

You know I’d wash away all of your sadness

while I hang myself to dry

Pierce my own reflection, just so you will stay

I will sit on the ledge of our love

and let you push me off

I’d do it all for you

I do it all for you

One day, when we’re looking back

even if it’s a whole damn mess

I won’t forget the feeling, when you said

“I love you from the floor through the ceiling”

I’d do it all for you

I do it all for you

Inside and out with my eyes closed I know you

(I’d do it all for you)

Inside and out with my eyes closed I know you

(I’d do it all for you)

Inside and out with my eyes closed I love you

Mad Love

Deep are these valleys

deep and cutting, are our words these days

High as the mountains, I’m high as a kite

and I won’t win this fight with myself again

Mad Love

spinning around like a carousel in a storm

Slow it down

suddenly here I’m falling

like falling in love again

Soft are the pastel downtown city skies

They look so pretty, depending on the light

Hard are the moments we don’t see eye to eye

and we’re left longing to get back to you and I

Mad Love

spinning around like a carousel in a storm

Slow it down

suddenly here I’m falling

like falling in love again

Mad Love

spinning around like a carousel

Slow it down

suddenly here I’m falling

like falling in love again

Stranger Danger

It’s so cold

I feel it in the backbeat

Covered up

with a nice warm melody

Put the kettle on, sit and watch the tv

Write another song in another key

People talk

they never really mean it

Walk the walk

whenever it’s convenient

Turn the other cheek, if the money’s looking greener

Where’s the empathy when you need it?

Stranger danger

Losing touch with mother nature

Who is gonna be her savior?

What is home

possessions or the feeling

Add one on

start to hit the ceiling

Further from the truth, closer to revealing

the damage has been done

And now what?

Stranger danger

Losing touch with mother nature

Who is gonna be her savior?

Going through the motions

I’m a little frozen, feeling numb

Going through the motions

Looking for a reason, feeling numb

Feeling numb

Going through the motions

I’m a little frozen, feeling numb

Going through the motions

Looking for a reason, I’m feeling numb

Feeling numb, feeling numb

I’m a little frozen

Can’t make up my mind

Feeling numb

I’m a little frozen

Can’t make up my mind

Feeling numb

Hallways

I will buy you flowers

and put ‘em in a crown

You rule my world, you make it melt

you make the songs out of the sounds

And every time I lose my mind, you never ask it to be found

You let it roam, you let it cry, you always let me come around

I’ll always come around

I will put the work in

give it everything I’ve got

‘Cause what we have is perfect, even when it’s not

Like when I try to prove I’m right, you let me talk my way back out

You let it go, you let it die, you always let me come around

I’ll come around

I can’t see the ending from the start

Scared of what is swimming in the dark

I’m running through the hallways

and I never find the right room

But then I wake up and you’re right there

All I was looking for was you

I will make my mind up

and change it every hour

I’m still trying to figure out if I’m a weed or I’m a flower

And you just kinda laugh it off and wait around to see it bloom

You say I’m a garden, that I’m more than just the two

Watch it bloom

I can’t see the ending from the start

Scared of what is swimming in the dark

And I’m running through the hallways

and I never find the right room

But then I wake up and you’re right there

All I was looking for was you

And I’m running through the hallways

and I never find the right room

But then I wake up and you’re right there

All I was looking for was you

looking for was you

All I was looking for was you

Old Tape

The critic mind is here today

the same old thing as yesterday

In the shower, the yard, and on the bike

it’s cold as ice

Spoil the picnic, spoil the fun

spoiling ad nauseam

In the universe the clouds are clear

and my baby’s here

The sorry words I tell myself (it’s playing again, it’s playing again)

The ancient thoughts of someone else (it’s playing again, it’s playing again)

and once in a while

you turn up the dial

to an old tape playing in my head

I’ll tune it out and live instead

What did I find in a broken heart?

A pig, a dig and a faulty start

You’re more gentle than I’ll ever be

so be gentle with me

The sorry words I tell myself (it’s playing again, it’s playing again)

The ancient thoughts of someone else (it’s playing again, it’s playing again)

and once in a while

you turn up the dial

to an old tape playing in my head

I’ll tune it out and live instead

And Once in a while

you turn up the dial

to an old tape playing in my head

I’ll tune it out and live instead

Once in a while

you turn up the dial

to an old tape playing in my head

I’ll tune it out and live instead

Impressions

Stare in my direction

Stand a little closer

Maybe it’s not like it was in your mind

Mirror to mirror

There’s no looking past her

Nothing comes as easy as a natural disaster

Half of me is here and half of me is running

Half of me is wishing I decided on something

I’ve been doing all my best impressions

of a life that isn’t mine

I keep reaching for that old expression

but it never comes out right

like how living is just dying slowly

til it stares you in the eye

Sucker for the scare and a mess of a domestic

If I didn’t have to then I wouldn’t address it

Doesn’t makes sense

when you make any sense of it

So what is the use in assessing the damages?

I’ve been doing all my best impressions

of a life that isn’t mine

I keep reaching for that old expression

but it never comes out right

I keep reaching for that old expression

but it never comes out right

Like how living is just dying slowly

‘til it stares you in the eye

‘til l it stares you in the eye

Borderline

Maybe in time

you’ll be starting over

on the other side

you’ll walk the line

It’s no kinda life, looking over your shoulder

You’ll only find what you’re trying to hide

Even when you say that it’s over

Trying to convince me you’re doin fine

I can see that borderline

Maybe in time, when hell freezes over

I’ll be surprised, you’ll be satisfied

Honey, I’m tired

looking for the old you

The one that I would recognize

Even when you say that it’s over

Trying to convince me you’re doin fine

I can see that borderline in your eyes

Even when you say that it’s over

Trying to convince me you’re doin fine

I can see that borderline in your eyes

Every time you lie

Orange Blossoms

Brush it off, let it roll

Nothing’s ever set in stone

But I wish I could forget

All the names of my regrets

Pick a number, go ahead and take a seat

Seasons change we gotta wait it out and see

All the orange blossoms bloom

and the air is filled with you

and me

And we’re under the stars, looking up

Light in the dark

Sky view

Kill our egos and give a little speech

Throw in some roses and start burying them deep

Take each other’s hand

Try and get back on dry land

And we’re under the stars, looking up

Light in the dark

Sky view

Try not to cue the violins

Don’t need to break the thing that bends

The lower bar, the upper hand

If we don’t fly, we’ll never land

And we’re under the stars, looking up

Light in the dark

Sky view

Under the stars, looking up

Light in the dark

Sky view

Brush it off, let it roll

Nothing’s ever set in stone

At The End of The Day

At the end of the day

when the house is quiet

Everybody’s asleep, I’m pouring my drink, and we’re searching our eyes

Looking for the gaze we used to hold or it used to hold us

and we can’t find it’s arms

They’re just two thumbs up, hitching a ride

At the end of the day

in the threads and the bleach

All the shit in the yard, and the bills piling up, they keep calling and, Jesus

I think we’re the last thing on my mind, but we know what we’re missing

and there’s only you

and you say that, too

Off into the sunset is a long walk

At the end of the day

it’s the best thing we’ve done

I know we were soulmates, now we would both say he is the one

As the days and nights go by

we win and we lose

because our love grew

and our loneliness, too

Off into the sunset is a long walk