Alice Phoebe Lou
South African-born, Berlin-forged, and now headed for warmer shores, Alice Phoebe Lou has announced her sixth studio album, Oblivion — a stripped-back, deeply intimate collection of archival songwriting set for release October 24 via Nettwerk Music Group. The new record, described by Lou as “a treasure chest of personal storytelling songs,” spans over a decade of her quietly radical career, bringing long-shelved material into the light with renewed confidence and self-production for the first time.
Leading the charge is “Pretender,” the album’s self-assured new single out today, in which Lou reflects on how youthful bravado once masked uncertainty — and how, with time, she’s come to fully embrace the woman behind the armor. “A loving ode to my younger self,” she calls it, and it shows: tender, unguarded, and resolutely clear-eyed, the track threads together gentle acoustic guitar, featherlight production, and an emotional center that’s both bruised and healing.
“The way I once used confidence as a shield to mask my insecurities has transformed into allowing my walls to come down,” Lou shares. “I can finally bask in who I am without the fear of being seen.”
Oblivion marks a departure from the more band-centric sound of 2023’s Shelter. This time, Lou invites listeners into a quieter, more vulnerable world — one informed by the raw honesty of busking in Berlin, the warmth of 1970s folk icons like Joni Mitchell and Nick Drake, and the unfiltered humanity of songs long hidden in drawers. It’s not a reinvention so much as a return — to imperfection, to instinct, to essence.
“After five band records, I’ve opened my treasure chest of songs that didn’t make it into other albums — some I never thought would see the light of day,” Lou explains. “Recording them as they are, with love and playfulness, helped me lean into imperfection and focus on the stories.”
Those stories began on the streets of Berlin, where Lou busked with nothing but a guitar and a voice. That same rawness underpins the singles released so far — “You and I,” “The Surface,” “Old Shadows” — each of which dials back sonic embellishments in favor of emotion-forward arrangements and lyrics that land like whispered confessions. They also mark her first time behind the production console, a shift she says gave her the space to “share my heart in this playful, gentle, vulnerable way.”
Between recording Oblivion and touring extensively — including three sold-out nights at L.A.’s Lodge Room, a slot opening for Remi Wolf at Red Rocks, and a European tour that wrapped to packed houses across the continent — Lou has been everywhere, yet somehow closer to herself than ever before. This fall, she returns to North America, supporting Men I Trust with her side project strongboi, following a standout run opening for Clairo earlier this year.
What shines through Oblivion isn’t just Lou’s evolution as a songwriter — it’s the quiet conviction of an artist who no longer feels the need to prove herself. There’s no rush, no performance, no posing. Just clarity, and the courage to say what needed saying all along.
“Being so open is painful and it’s beautiful,” Lou says, “and it helps you be grateful for where you are and where you’re going.”
And for Alice Phoebe Lou, the path ahead looks luminous.
Oblivion is out October 24 via Nettwerk. Pretender is available to stream now. Pre-save the album here.
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